Sparks
by dmc87
Summary: You know the gist - a year after the Red Cape incident, Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still warring against sexism, and Gouto still denies his addiction to Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou the 14th is...a girl? Not as awful as it sounds. Give it a chance?
1. Home, Sweet Home

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Hey, it had to be done _some_ time, right? ...Right? Okay, maybe I should explain myself. I've had this game for ages (I think it was my brother's, actually, but he never played it and it found its way to my shelf somehow), but I only tried it out last week and HOT DAMN it's addictive. And also amazing. So anyway, what with me agreeing with that hilarious comment from a bystander in Mannen-Cho (admit it, you think Dahn is wild and dreamy too), this was birthed from the dark recesses of my brainnn. So there.

When I started writing I realized it was pretty hard keeping the Raidou personality (because, like some awesome person said on some Youtube video-HE'S LIKE AN ASIAN BATMAN)...but I'll try not to let her get too out of character. Of course, fem!Raidou can't totally be the cool, hollow shell that is the Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th we see in the game, so she'll actually have some humor here. And react to things with an expression other than one that says _"Huh. This ain't no thang." _Because Raidou's cool that way, you know? Also, this follows the **Chaos** path of the game.

Gouto's a little more protective here, too. I mean, I know he isn't old-fashioned just because he's a thousand years old and he's supah cool that way, but he still can't help but worry for his first _female _successor. (Good thing Tae can't hear him, or she'll go crazy.) I'm assuming fem!Raidou's the first. They never mentioned having or not having a female Raidou before, so I'm free to pretend she is, right? Heheh...

Oh, and fem!Raidou doesn't have as much of a Naoto complex as...well, Naoto from P4. She keeps her hair up in her hat and she'll lower her voice outside the detective agency (though she does use masculine parts of speech when speaking, Japanese-wise) so it won't be hard to deal with bigots, but she won't deny being a girl if someone asks (and then she switches back to using feminine inflections with the person). Raidou hardly gets out of that cape, anyway, so it's not as hard for her to act like a boy.

READ ON

* * *

_Chapter 1: Home, Sweet Home_

The clouds floated lazily about the sky, shielding the sun from the natural dullness of the Capital below. Carts went about their daily rounds, businesses still opened and closed at the right hours, and shrines were just as abandoned as ever. But there was an eerie buzzing around the Capital that day, something the heavens did not so much notice as overlook, and its inhabitants felt the chill despite the perceived normalcy of the day.

In Tsukudo-Cho, a small figure cloaked in black moved across the Ushigome-gaeri bridge with calculated exactness. To those around her, it seemed innate, something so instilled in the figure that it felt almost ancient. In truth, it was the presence of the black cat trailing her that affected them, though they would never know.

"How long has it been, Kotone?" the cat asked the girl as they walked together. They were allies, old friends, and only she and those of her profession – or his – could hear him.

Kotone looked down at him fondly. Only he and another called her by her real name outside the village. "A year, Gouto," she replied quietly, so no one would see that she was speaking with a cat, but she received some odd looks anyway. "I never thought I'd say it, but I missed the company in Tsukudo-Cho."

"So did I," chuckled Gouto. "Pity we only get to come here when there's some threat to the Capital."

"We should travel here, then, when this is over," she suggested, fixing the cap that covered her hair. "Have a sort of vacation…if that's possible for a Raidou Kuzunoha."

For a Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, to be exact, and the first female one at that, but the clan had never made af fuss about it. Kotone was the only daughter of the previous Raidou and the only one in the clan deemed worthy to inherit the title, whether or not she was, according to the Yatagarasu, a blossoming young lady. The clan was different from the rest of the country in that aspect.

"Aren't you still in high school?" Gouto asked. "The 13th told me before that he wanted his child to finish at least that level of education. Although, judging by the grueling Kuzunoha clan training, I can understand why you want a break."

"I am still in high school." The 14th kept her peripherals on people's feet ahead of her so she could speak with Gouto without knocking anyone over. "I don't mind being summoned by the Yatagarasu for a mission, of course, though my schoolmates are beginning to think I'm a slack—" Kotone stumbled forward. When she caught herself, she looked up to see the face of whoever had bumped into her.

Curly hair – not the uniformed sort of curly that obediently turned inward, but the chaotic kind that stuck out and refused to be combed down – was the first thing she noticed about him. He seemed normal enough, with a plain shirt and trousers, but there was an intensity in his eyes that Kotone wondered about and a wide grin on his mouth that she knew Gouto was already suspicious about.

"'Scuse me, little missy," he said, smirking as he made the motion of tipping a hat, and ran off.

"Judging by his accent, I would say he's new here in the Capital," said Kotone, watching him go. "And it's a wonder he could tell I was female at first glance. What do you think…Gouto?"

The cat was staring at a traveling fish vendor walking around past them.

"Gouto?"

"Ah—" Gouto shook his head. "Were you saying something, Kotone?"

"Did you see that man; the one who bumped into me?"

"I'm sorry," Gouto frowned. "My mind was…elsewhere."

Kotone breathed in amusement and started for a familiar building in the district. In a sense, it was like coming home. With a foreboding sense of danger looming over her shoulders, certainly, because of the vague assignment the Yatagarasu had given, but it was home sweet home all the same.

"The Narumi Detective Agency," Gouto read when they arrived before the steps of the Ginroukaku building. "It certainly doesn't feel like a year now, does it?"

Nodding, Kotone approached the door. It was never anyone's habit to knock and wait for the Agency's namesake to open it, however, and the two let themselves in.

There was someone behind the table holding a newspaper over his face. He turned a page once before greeting, just as languidly as Gouto and Kotone remembered, "Welcome to the Narumi Detective Agency…"

Gouto grunted indignantly.

"Gouto is wondering if you treat all your customers this way."

The newspaper was slammed on the desk, already forgotten. Somewhat obedient, curly hair, half-lidded eyes, pursed lips – Shouhei Narumi. "Raidou! Gouto!"

Kotone gave a small wave at the detective's wide eyes. "Hey, boss."

Narumi stood up with the half-irritated, half-amused smile only he could pull off. "Had I known you two would be here so soon, I would have prepared some coffee. Come on, why are you two just standing there? Make yourselves at home. Just like old times, huh?"

Exactly.

* * *

It wasn't always lively in the Narumi Detective Agency, Kotone remembered later that afternoon. There were times like these, when they were pondering on what to do next while she and Gouto stood against the staircase and Narumi sat behind his desk, reading the papers and (allegedly) being intellectual. Today Gouto had taken to curling and uncurling his tail around her arm, and Narumi was still reading the papers.

Minutes later, Narumi set the newspaper down, a cigarette lodged in between his teeth. Kotone never understood what it was with men and smoking. The demons didn't like it, that was for sure, which was why she never tried the stuff. Taking the cigarette from his mouth and putting it out over a pile of at least fifty more used cigarettes, Narumi stood and poured himself a cup of coffee before perfunctorily wiping the butter on his knife off a pile of toast.

Kotone crossed her arms. Gouto stretched his neck without taking his eyes off Narumi.

Taking his seat, Narumi stared back at the cat. "What's with that stare, Gouto?" He glanced at Kotone for a moment. She shrugged. "Ohh, I see… You've finally taken a shine to me, haven't you?" He chuckled. "I have a natural way with animals…and ladies."

Kotone concealed a snort with a cough, which Narumi chose to ignore. By all accounts, she was still only a girl. "Well, don't just stand there, Raidou. Come over here with Gouto. I made some coffee, so why don't we all have a drink together? It's my own special Narumi blend! You know, it's good to see the three of us working together again."

"However idly, as usual," Kotone replied, but not completely without humor, and took a seat beside Gouto on the table.

"Still a pair of stiffs, eh, you two?" Narumi joked, then raised his coffee cup. "Let's have a toast to our reunion! …A coffee toast."

"A coffee toast?" Gouto thought out loud, staring at the coffee cup poured out for him. He sighed. "Well, far be it from me to take away the little happiness he gets from seeing us again. All right."

"What's with that look?" Narumi glanced between Gouto and Kotone. "Are you two talking about me?"

"Gouto says we should humor you and have this coffee toast."

"Thanks," said Narumi with obvious sarcasm, but they had the toast nonetheless.

There was an uncomfortable silence afterwards, with Gouto and Narumi taking sips from their coffee (rather, with Gouto licking the coffee from his cup, what with his lack of opposable thumbs, he later complained) and Kotone fiddling with her cup's handle. She preferred water.

"Listen, Raidou…" Narumi didn't like calling her by her real name, should he run the risk of sounding unprofessional. He also thought she was more of an equal with that title than just a little girl playing detective with a cape with the name Kotone, but he never said that in front of Tae. It made him feel less guilty or protective, too, when he sent her around doing legwork and left her to fight those demons on her own. "You probably already know this, but you can relax here. Sure, I've got orders from the Yatagarasu to watch over you, but you're still young, and you've been training as a summoner at Kuzunoha village ever since you were a tyke. I'm just here to make sure you don't fall in with the wrong crowd out here in the big, bad world."

"I know, boss." Kotone smiled gratefully.

Narumi returned it kindly. "But hey, you've never caused me any trouble, and my philosophy is: a man's job – and a girl's, of course – should be fun. No need to stand straight up like a ramrod, is what I mean. Just sit back… loosen up… and—"

His stomach let out a desperate rumble.

"Snrrk–" Kotone reached up to stifle a chortle; Gouto snickered along with her.

Narumi tugged at his collar. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have a bite before we start. Break time here is whenever you feel like it. No need to worry about any clients busting in… It's the middle of the day, see?"

"Okay, boss," said Kotone, still feeling humorous as she stood and entered the kitchen. "I'll make us three something besides toast."

"Really? That'd be great," Narumi sighed contentedly, lying back on his chair. "I really missed having you around."

Gouto chuckled. "Everyone likes an errand girl."

The detective narrowed his eyes at the cat. He was starting to at least understand Gouto's emotions whenever he meowed. "What was that, Gouto?"

"He says you're a slave driver," Kotone translated, looking through the dusty cupboards. "I see you've only been eating out."

"Oh, well, that's okay, then," Narumi shrugged. "And the truth is, I'm getting into butter and toast these days. I've decided to be the modern man now, see? …Although some curry rice never hurt…"

Kotone picked up an unknown ingredient hidden at the back of a cupboard. "I think I can make do with these ingredients. Somehow."

"Great!" Narumi clapped his hands and took the newspaper to the kitchen counter. Gouto followed with a leap. "Now then…Hmph. The headlines haven't changed much since yesterday. Every article in this rag's moaning about _good luck_ and _bad luck_… This _luck_ stuff some kinda fad?" The detective scoffed and turned the page. "Hey now! Listen to this one, Raidou: _Blimp Goes Down in Flames!_ It's a strange one… Here, I'll read it to you."

Kotone paused for a moment and watched Narumi's expressions change as he read on.

"Let's see… Halfway through the flight, the pilot started on the lunch his main squeeze made him. He dropped his umeboshi, and when he went to pick it up, his elbow hit the pressure gauge. The blimp went down in flames, but the pilot survived…with some pretty bad burns, though. Huh. Should we chalk it up to an unlucky break that came as pure coincidence? Or should we be happy that the fella survived such a dangerous situation? I can't tell if the guy was lucky or unlucky…" Narumi frowned and read through the paper again.

"The pilot should take responsibility for it," Kotone said, returning to their food. "After all, it isn't proper to eat while doing something else."

"That's my take on it, too," Narumi agreed. "Raidou, make sure you learn from his mistake, okay?"

Kotone snorted again, though without the intention of being disrespectful. It was just funny, because the detective hardly followed his own advice. "Of course, boss."

"What?" Narumi knew what was on the girl's mind. Still… "As far as anyone out there knows, you're my apprentice. So make sure you're nice and polite to everyone you meet, or they'll get the wrong idea about me, okay?"

Gouto gave Kotone a look that said _just humor him for the sake of the Yatagarasu_. In good conscience, Kotone couldn't do it. She gave her boss a blank stare.

Narumi knew her well enough to know the look meant he got the Tawara-Ya management angry with him all by himself, but he didn't like to think about it and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, all right. Now then… that butter on my toast ought to be nice and melted by now. A modern sort like me has toast for lunch, see? Not that any man minds curry rice for seconds. I've gotta keep up with the news, though. Well, nothing wrong with a little reading while I eat…"

Gouto and Kotone glanced at each other, then at Narumi. "Boss…"

Narumi laughed a little and shook his head. "Look, I'm a grown man, and I've got things to do. It's okay for me. Do as I say, not as I do, got it?"

"Yeah, a real role model for you, Kotone…" remarked the cat, watching Narumi move back to his desk. "I'll go keep an eye on him. He might knock everything over while he eats and does his _modern_ activities," Gouto added, mockingly, and leapt off the kitchen counter.

Kotone went on cooking, wondering what would come of this experiment. She wasn't even sure she knew how to make curry rice. Whenever she came home from summoner training in the day, her mother had tried to instill the qualities of a good wife in her, despite her father's insisting that the only man his daughter would marry was a devil summoner and that her groom would be man enough to cook on his own without ragging on his great devil summoner of a wife for some food. Of course, that ended up with her mother refusing to cook for her father for a week, but he got his point across somehow. That and she was only ever truly successful at frying eggs and boiling rice.

"Ah, damn!"

"What happened?" Kotone asked, running out into the main office. Gouto was on Narumi's desk, in a position after a skillful pounce, and her boss was gritting his teeth on his seat. His cup lay knocked over on its side, the last drops of coffee spilling out over the desk.

Gouto leapt back to the coffee table without a trace of guilt on his feline features. "There was an odd looking bug on his shoulder," he said. "When its face opened, it – looked almost as though it had a mask. I knew there was something wrong."

"Ah." Her eyes flew back to Narumi, who stood abruptly, butter all over his pants. "Buttered slacks—trousers of the modern man?"

Narumi had a _ha ha, funny_ expression, though it quickly turned to urgency as he motioned to something behind Kotone. She turned, her right hand flying to her sword hilt, but it was only a pretty lady with green eyes. Swamp green – not the bright green of Gouto's.

The woman bowed respectfully, a desperate look on her face. "I need your help."

Kotone tilted her head curiously, refusing to take her eyes off the girl. She didn't have Kaya's silky straight long hair, but hers was interesting nonetheless.

Curls. The chaotic kind that stuck out and refused to be combed down.

* * *

She was much calmer than Kaya, if Raidou remembered the past year's events correctly.

Her name was Akane Narita. She wanted the Narumi Detective Agency to look for a man named Dahn, but that was all the information she was willing to give. Narumi had taken the man's photo she gave with him when he went to change into pants less covered in butter, as Gouto had suggested.

Having given up on cooking for her modern man of a boss, Kotone had taken to watching the older female move uneasily in her seat, her eyes darting around the office. Perhaps she had a calm countenance, but she was clearly anxious to find this Dahn. "Miss Narita, would you like some coffee while you wait?"

Akane seemed surprised she was even there. "Oh. Yes, please…Raidou, did Mr. Narumi call you?"

Kotone nodded, pouring her a cup. She waited for Akane to ask her if that name was masculine, but the girl was polite enough not to. "Here. But you can call me Kotone, if you like, Miss Narita." They didn't get female clients often, and she didn't have many female friends in the village. She was always much too busy and tired to keep close friendships with the other girls in school, too, and she hadn't heard from Kaya for nearly two weeks. Was this a desperate attempt to socialize outside her circle of friends in the dark realm?

"Kotone, then," said Akane politely. "You work for Mr. Narumi?"

"For the time being. Mr. Narumi will be back shortly. We had a little accident before you came in, you see…"

"No need to tell her all the details, Raidou," came Narumi's voice, and the man entered with a clean pair of white pants with a matching suit to boot. "But with that out of the way, it's time we had a little chat about your request… Miss Narita, was it?" He crossed his arms. "There's a man you wanted us to find?"

"It's urgent, you understand…" Akane clasped her fingers together. "It must be done quickly."

"Well, no need to waste shoe leather coming out here. If you need a man found, I recommend the police."

"I…I couldn't…" Akane delicately tucked a curl behind her ear. "I don't want there to be a big to-do."

Narumi sighed, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Wait here, please," he said to Akane, and then dragged Kotone into the kitchen. Gouto followed suit. "What do you think about all this, Raidou? Gouto? Is it just me, or does something smell funny here? A mysterious dame, all grown up, comes looking for a man…"

"You don't think she's being honest with us?" Kotone asked, peeking outside to take another glance at Akane. "She looks like a nice enough lady."

Narumi shook his head. "Seems like penny-ante love-affair stuff to me… I don't think we should take it, do you?"

"I think you should take the case." Kotone shrugged. "After all… what would people say if they found out slick detective Shouhei Narumi turned a nice lady down?"

"Raidou, you know as well as I do that just looking nice doesn't cut it with me."

"But it is something to think about, isn't it, boss?"

Narumi looked unsure now. "Uhhh, well… Of course, the dame looks serious, and I want to play it sweet too, y'know? But love affairs... I have a strict rule on those: it's between the guy and the girl, not me."

Kotone glanced behind Narumi. Apparently, Akane was perplexed enough not to leave them alone. "I can't stay long," she said, taking something from her small handbag. "Here. A little downpayment – it's yours."

"Now see here, Miss Narita, I never agreed to take this– hm…?"

Kotone blinked. She hadn't held that much cash in a while. The village stressed simplicity, of all things, so all the money she earned last year, she had hidden with one of her most trusted demons. (Speaking of which, she hadn't summoned them in what seemed like an eternity.)

Narumi's jaw dropped. "Wait a cotton-pickin'… Is this the down payment or the entire wad? You're giving me all this!?"

Kotone cleared her throat. "Us." Protecting the Capital didn't come cheap, after all.

"I've never employed a detective..." Akane shrugged him off, but Kotone could see that she was a little embarrassed. "I have no idea what your type costs. If it's not enough...say the word."

"...Raidou, fix our guest some coffee. And make it snappy, she's come all this way to see us."

"Sure thing, boss," said Kotone, taking the pitcher and leading the rest out of the kitchen, but after her second serving, Akane decided she had to leave.

"Well, thank you for the coffee," she said, smiling sincerely at Narumi and Kotone as she approached the door, "I'll be going now. I hope you can find him…"

"Have a good day, Miss Narita," Kotone waved, and closed the door for her. Taking a seat on the stairs, she turned her mouth up slightly. "You sure played it sweet, boss. Not that _you _are to blame. Even Gouto looked surprised by the amount she gave us."

Narumi walked past her, taking a seat by the coffee table. He looked almost offended, but some of it was jest. "Just so you know, it wasn't the money that swung me. Let's be clear on that. As she talked about the job more, I started to twig it... Our Miss Akane is the only daughter of _that_ Narita. As in Tasuke Narita, councilman in the Diet."

"I've heard of him. The man had obscure beginnings, but…"

"Yep. Now he's the standing chairman of the Finance Committee," Narumi continued. "Every cent this nation has flows through him... You do something nice for a dame like that, and who knows what kind of doors it might open for you?"

"And here I thought he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart," said Gouto, pawing his face softly: a feline facepalm.

"What?" Narumi frowned. "It's the truth."

"Gouto says you're _brimming_ with kindness."

"Sarcasm, right?" The detective stared at the cat. "I'm starting to understand your meowing, Gouto, see?"

Gouto flicked his tail in reply and jumped beside Kotone. "I don't understand why you can't just translate me properly."

"It's more interesting that way," the Kuzunoha replied. "Don't you think so?"

"Anyway," Narumi cleared his throat. "No wonder Akane refused to go to the police. A dame in her position has to mind her father's career... Either that, or this is still a love affair, and not one that Daddy's wild about. I mean look at the guy..."

Narumi took the photo from his suit and threw it at Kotone, who deftly caught it in between her fingers. "That's the photo she showed me. Said that fellow's name is Dahn... Kind of a shady character, wouldn't you say? Somehow I don't see him as the honest living type..."

The first thing Kotone noticed about the man in the picture was his hand. He was trying to block the lens, as if taking a picture of him would be taking his soul, and he didn't look very happy. There was a frown on his lips she found so foreign from his face that she wanted to just wipe it off forever. And then her eyes traveled to his hair.

"Curls…" she mumbled.

"What was that, Raidou?"

"I think…I may have already seen this man. When we were crossing the Ushigome-gaeri Bridge into town." Only he had had that grin when they met, Kotone realized, which was why his frown had affected her so.

"Well, that's just dandy. We find the man before he's asked for and now we have no idea where he is…what luck. Then again, maybe I should have thought twice about this… A lady's one thing, but poking after a brute like him?" Narumi rubbed a hand over his face. "Ugh, I've got a whopper of a headache. Raidou, I'll let you handle this…keep the photo," he coughed, rather affectedly, in Kotone's opinion, but she was used to Narumi leaving all the work to her. Not that she minded; no matter how hard he tried, her boss always seemed to treat her like a little girl one way or another.

Gouto jumped onto Kotone's lap. "I think I'll tag along on this hunt for the missing Dahn. I'm worried about something... Have you noticed it, Kotone? Lately, I feel like _luck_ has been coming up in conversation around the Capital way too much... And not only that. Everyone's luck seems out of whack."

"I understand," she nodded. "People from the Capital don't seem to have indoor voices. The consensus is: those lucky get even luckier, and those unlucky..."

"Right. It's too hard to shake off as simple coincidence. I want to see what's going on with my own eyes."

"I think we should start around the Tawara-Ya area. It is a popular restaurant around here where boss had the biggest tab ever…do you remember?"

"How could I forget?" Gouto chuckled, leaping towards the door. "Come on, now."

"By the way, Raidou," Narumi called out, "remember that the first step to sleuthing is to ask around. Do some legwork, and have patience. Make sure you listen to what the man on the street has to…Ah! My pants! I better get a wet rag on those or the stain won't come out!" Narumi scratched his head and sighed. "Figures it had to land butter-side-down… Talk about your bad luck!"

"All right, boss." Kotone tipped her hat and opened the door for Gouto. "Good luck cleaning that stain out…"

"Narumi's got the right idea," said Gouto, hopping out into the busy street. "I'll come with you. You've got the sword, but I've got the pen. Behold, my Detective's Notebook!"

Kotone watched the cat pull out a small notebook from between his collar. "How do you write without opposable thumbs?"

"Patience, my young successor…" Flipping the notebook open, Gouto forced a nail out of his index finger and scratched the name _Dahn_ on the first page. "See? All I have to do is scratch a nail on it. It has its own ink, in a way." Gouto appraised his writing and nodded appreciatively. "Hrm…excellent penmanship, if I say so myself. Luck is on your side today, having such an avid writer for a mentor. Well, if you're all set, let's get this caper started."

Starting for Tawara-Ya, Kotone gave a mock-salute. "Yessir."

* * *

Two and a half hours, lots of questions asked, little answers received, a trip to the dark realm, and a boring train ride to and from Shinoda later, Kotone and Gouto stepped out of Konnou-Ya.

"Come back with pocket money next time!" the balding owner yelled out to them, shaking his cane at them.

Gouto frowned. "And all we've got is…"

"Virtually nothing," Kotone answered. "It sure was nice of Dr. Victor to let that disturbed Inugami stay and work with him. Although he still puts me ill at ease…and he could have told us he was still working beneath Konnou-Ya instead of having us travel all the way back to Shinoda. I thought he'd moved… We could have tested the box from the Agency, after all…"

"He puts everyone ill at ease," said a floating figure behind them, her little pointed wings flapping and her horned tail curling about seductively. She barely wore a thing, but she was decent, and had just recently returned all of Kotone's past earnings, proving herself trustworthy to the devil summoner once more.

"And that _is_ something to say, especially from you, Lilim," said Kotone, grinning at the demon.

"Oh, is that _all_ you have to say?" Lilim rolled her eyes. "We missed you! Have you even met with the others?"

"Not yet," Kotone replied, patting the tubes on her chest. "I'll have to, sooner or later. But you demons have always liked surprises."

Lilim's eyes darted around the place. Tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears, she bit her lip nervously. "Well, since you summoned me, I might have happened to tell Leanan and Undine…"

"Demons never could keep secrets," the cat remarked.

"Hey!" Lilim pouted. "That isn't nice."

Gouto chuckled. "Are you really picking a fight with a cat?"

Kotone ignored them. Gouto did have a habit of teasing her demons. She supposed it came from his having been a summoner himself, but with that attitude she wondered how he could ever have negotiated with their lot. "I believe we've earned ourselves a bite to eat. How about it?"

Lilim licked her lips. "Yum. I'm in the mood for a good snacking."

"It still sounds odd, coming from you…" Kotone thought out loud, earning her a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Didn't this cat ever teach you the right way to show someone you missed them?"

"The way you're getting all worked up about it now should give you a clue," said Gouto, who ran off to Tawara-Ya upon Lilim's hiss.

"Now, now," said Kotone, but did nothing to stop the demon from chasing Gouto to the restaurant.

"Oh, hey, Raidou!" Tawara-Ya's owner greeted the girl upon her arrival. He had always been kind to her, especially after she paid off over half of Narumi's tab before. "You were looking for a young man, weren't you? I just saw a boy going towards Tamonten Shrine. He was a young foreigner about your age… a tourist, maybe?"

Kotone and Gouto glanced at each other.

"Come on, Kotone, let's go eat!" Lilim insisted, tugging on Kotone's arm. With her free one, Kotone sent the girl back into her tube.

"A lead, you think?" Kotone asked Gouto, turning away from Tawara-Ya. The Tamonten Shrine was just beside the restaurant, but it was going to take a while if she still had to speak with the foreigner. If he was a demon in disguise, she might even have to fight him, and she didn't so much feel like battling as she did eating at the moment. Narumi did say break time was whenever she wanted, but she knew to know better.

"Anything's a lead at this point," said the cat, and they trudged their way over to the Tamonten Shrine. Kotone appreciated this place. It was much more colorful than the Nameless Shrine in Shinoda (obviously), this warrior shrine where she could feel somewhat proud, and though there were no statues that were fun to talk to here, it was a nice spot to watch people go about their daily lives.

"Raidou!" called a man standing by the shrine. He wore sunglasses, not that there was much sun to shield his eyes from.

Raidou could already see the blond at the shrine steps, but she tried not to be rude to old people if she could. "Hello…?"

"You found that precious stone for me a year ago, remember?" said the old man, "How could I forget that face and that cape of yours?"

"Ah, yes," said Kotone, though she had aided so many in the past year that she could barely remember everyone. If her memory served her correctly, however, this man had always liked his shades. "How may I help you?"

Oh no, she _was_ an errand girl.

"No, child, I'm just here to give you a bit of advice. I'd steer well clear of Fukagawa-Cho until the dust settles!"

"Why is that, sir?"

The old man sighed. "Some guys there got the bright idea to raise a ruckus with the Kantou Haguro-gumi punks. They talked with that telltale drawl, so you can tell they weren't from around here. Unfortunate for them that Satake targeted them right after they got to the Capital."

"I see…" Kotone thanked the old man and went on into the shrine, the words _telltale drawl _and the picture of Dahn in her mind coming together. He spoke with that accent. It wasn't as thick as the slur of most provincials, but it was there. Could he have been the one that dared rile up Satake's goons? He did seem new around the place. But he was alone when they met, and what did it all have to do with Miss Narita?

The young man was waiting for her at the shrine, it seemed. He was handsome, truly a foreigner, with his icy blue eyes and blond hair, most of which was covered by his beret.

"It would be apropos to say _Nice to meet you _here, yes?" he asked in perfect Japanese right after their eyes met, and without waiting for Kotone to reply, continued, "This encounter with you should 'spark' something or other, I suppose. If there's anything you desire, I'd like to know. Perhaps I can provide a 'spark' for you too…"

Gouto looked up to Kotone, startled. "What sort of _spark_ does he mean? I hope he knows this isn't the Red Light district."

The young man looked down at Gouto disdainfully before turning back to Kotone. "What is it, then? What do you desire?"

Kotone reached into her cape and took out Dahn's photo. "His name is Dahn, perhaps you've seen him?"

The foreigner barely looked at the photo. Instead, he fixed the tie between his collar and stared at her intently. "The fact that you and I met here, that I served as your 'spark'… This is what you'd call fortunate, yes?"

"To an extent, I suppose," Kotone replied, unsure as to what the young man wanted to hear from her. "Why do you ask?"

It also seemed as if the foreigner had made it a point to give completely non sequitur answers. "I've seen that man," he said, staring at the photo with obvious disinterest, "at the place your people call Fukagawa-Cho."

Gouto sighed. "Finally, a lucky break in the case."

"Indeed."

Kotone glanced up at the foreigner in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Ah, I was only thinking to myself," he said with a smirk. "I have provided you with your 'spark'. Shouldn't you be on your way?"

* * *

"The Daikoku-Yu bathhouse…" Lilim read with a dreamy tone in her voice, floating around Kotone before the establishment, "I have fond memories of this place."

"I certainly don't," said Gouto, frowning. "I don't appreciate my only female descendant so far running around in but a towel."

"Satake seemed impressed enough," Lilim huffed. "It was my idea, you know. And we got his information thanks to it!"

"We know," said the devil summoner between them, heaving a sigh and approaching the façade. If there was anyone who knew where to find missing people, it was Satake. She wouldn't put it past him to be the cause of some missing cases, either. Reaching the entrance, Kotone greeted two familiar faces with a bow. "Good afternoon."

"Hey, if it ain't Raidou!" exclaimed the guard at the right. "It's been a while! Where have you been?"

"Training in the country," replied Kotone. "And you?"

"Standing guard, y'know," said the guard at the left. "Ha ha, I still remember that fight you had with some of our guys a year ago…they still can't believe they got beat by a high school girl…"

"Don't let them think on it too much," said Kotone with a small smile. Although she tried not to care about sexism as much as Tae, she still found pride in having beaten two Kantou Haguro-gumi punks. "Is Satake in?"

"Yeah…" the singular expression of the guards turned sour. "But he's not in a good mood. I wouldn't go in there if I were you."

"Hmm," Kotone frowned, turning her back on them and facing Gouto. "Satake might not respond to me even if I give him a good beating."

"You don't always need to beat the answers out of people," Lilim sighed. "Haven't any of our fights together taught you anything, Kotone? Come on, just get into the bathhouse. I'll take care of things – even if you still haven't gotten rid of that habit of stuffing me back in my tube while I'm still talking..."

"Didn't you hear the guards?" asked Gouto. "The king of the goons isn't feeling peachy. If we burst in on him now, he'll probably chew Kotone's head off."

Lilim lowered herself to block Kotone's vision of Gouto. "Kotone, do you trust me?"

"Of course," replied the summoner, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "What's on your mind?"

"I'll tell you once we're inside," said the demon, attempting to push Kotone into the bathhouse. "Stay here, Gouto."

Kotone sighed. She did want to get back to the Agency early, and if she wrapped things up with this case quick, maybe she could even catch the stars on the roof tonight before falling dead asleep. Turning back to the guards, she said, "I'll do my best to, er, avoid getting him angrier."

One of them sighed. "I don't know, Raidou…but okay. Get in."

"Oh, please take care of Gouto for a moment," she said, motioning to the cat, who glared up at the guards.

"Sure thing, Raidou." The guard at the left bent down and beckoned to Gouto. "Come on, little kitty…"

"Meowr!" Gouto hissed, scratching at his face. Lilim shoved Kotone inside before she could intervene.

After some protest, Kotone strolled into the changing room with Lilim giggling quietly at her side. "Lilim, what are you planning?"

"Just follow my lead," said the girl, helping Kotone undress. "Ooh, you've really been training hard, haven't you? Your shape has really improved. And you're growing!"

"If you don't mind, I don't want to hear this."

"Oh, it was just a compliment! I don't toss those out every day, you know."

Kotone shook her head and went into the bathhouse. It was as steamy as she remembered, and it was starting to get hotter with her nerves. Satake wasn't the kind to get beaten into giving out information. He was impressed by her strength before, but he had been in a good mood then. And he was probably too surprised at her wearing a cap and being a female to bother being annoyed. She didn't know how he was when he wasn't happy, but judging by the reactions of his goons, he was something to be feared. Well, so was she, Lilim insisted, but Kotone had always left the calming down bit of the negotiations to her demons.

"Everyone's staring at me again," Kotone stated, covering her chest with her arms though she was in a towel. She could always sic the men with a nice dose of Mamudo, but that wouldn't be fair. She was feeling fair today. "And Satake is in a bad mood. Why did I let you talk me into this?"

"Because I'm one of the best negotiators on the team," Lilim sighed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now come on, there's Satake. Ooh, he's gotten so much manlier since we last saw him, don't you think?"

"Shh," shushed Kotone, wading through the water to reach the king of the goons. To be fair, his tattoos were intimidating, and added to the tough guy charm he carried… She had to stop letting Lilim influence her like this. Satake was frowning, however, his gaze distant and his arms crossed.

"Hello, Satake. How have you been?"

The well-inked man snapped out of his thoughts and stared up at Kotone. He looked surprised for a moment, before seeming to realize who she was, and sighed. "A woman in the bathhouse wearing a school cap… Shoulda figured it'd be you, Kuzunoha."

"It's nice to see you again," Kotone said, forcing a smile. "You look well."

"Yeah, yeah, and you've gotten curvy. So what's so important you gotta bug a man like me when I'm in the tub?"

Kotone's face flushed at his straightforwardness. No one had ever commented on her femininity before (it was usually on her lack of it). Lilim, on the other hand, clapped her hands merrily. "He noticed your figure! It means he sees you as a woman now. This'll be easy, Kotone."

"Hey, Kuzunoha, hello," said Satake, waving a hand in her face. Kotone turned back to him apologetically. "Don't waste my time. What do you want?"

* * *

Next chapter quote sneak peek time!

_"You touched him where!?" _

REVIEWWWWWWWWWW

(IMHO, **Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon** could've been shortened to Just My Luck. Then it'd be like that one movie with that girl and that guy with the good luck bad luck stuff only it didn't have crazy giant insects with crowns and dark android summoners and wild and dreamy guys with eternally unchapped lips. AMIRITE)

(...)

(kidding)


	2. She's a Lady

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Previously...

_"Hey, Kuzunoha, hello," said Satake, waving a hand in her face. Kotone turned back to him apologetically. "Don't waste my time. What do you want?"_

* * *

_Chapter 2: She's a Lady_

"Oh. Here." Kotone showed the yakuza boss the picture she was holding. "I'm on a missing persons case. He's missing. The name is Dahn. Have you seen him?"

Satake looked away in irritation, crossing his arms again. "Now tell me, Kuzunoha… If you were taking a soak and someone barged in on you, coming on like a state interrogator, how would that make you feel? Not happy, am I right?"

Kotone frowned at Lilim, floating behind Satake. Things were going down fast. "I suppose I—"

"So get that photo outta my face." Kotone withdrew it quickly. "I guess it ain't your day today, Kuzunoha. You caught me in a real low mood. If it's a favor you're after, show a little respect. A gift or two to sugarcoat things might be nice. If you bring me something tasty, maybe things'll be different."

"Oh, he wants something tasty," Lilim tapped her chin, a sly smile enveloping her features. "We'll give him something tasty." Unable to speak with her before Satake, Kotone gave Lilim an urgent look. "Wrap your arm around his and say his name slowly."

Kotone cringed. In Raidou Kuzunoha terms, this meant complete and utter horror. Lilim knew this.

"Just do as I say, Kotone," said Lilim, sighing. "Come on, trust me. He may have been able to defeat a Yomi-Kugutsu, but not even he can resist a lady's charm! Now repeat everything I tell you to say. Dip forward a bit, then sit down, take his arm, and say his name slooowly. Kenzou Satake, right? I definitely remember those pecs from before."

Kotone grimaced inwardly. Well, Lilim _had_ gotten her out of more tight situations than she could count, but her trust in Lilim wasn't the issue – it was her trust in her own negotiation skills that posed the problem. Still, she followed. Dipping forward slowly, she sat down beside Satake, shuddering as she wet the rest of her body, and took Satake by the arm.

"Kuzunoha, what the hell—"

"Kenzou…"

Satake stopped, his eyes widening. Lilim continued to coach Kotone.

"I'm sorry I barged in on you like this," Kotone said throatily, putting on a dismayed expression. "I had just…gotten back from training in the village and…I…" It was all the devil summoner could do not to reach over and pluck Lilim's tail off for making her do this, or kick herself for actually listening to the demon. "And I…just couldn't wait to see you again."

Satake took a huge gulp. "Kuzunoha—"

"Kenzou…" Kotone repeated, and Lilim was thankful Satake confused her friend's horror with a look of need, "I really missed you. Didn't you miss… me? I've grown a lot since we last met – here…"

Satake seemed petrified as Kotone took his arm and wrapped it around her waist. Resisting the urge to close her eyes and imagine she was in a better place (the Akarana corridor, Waden One, anything), she pressed her hands against his chest and smoothed them over it fondly.

"Kuzuno—"

She leaned closer to silence him, pushing herself up so they were almost face-to-face, and held her lips below his, barely breathing. "I don't have anything on me but this towel… I'm sorry… Can I…Can I…"

"K-Kuzu…"

Kotone breathed heavily. "Can I give you…something _else_ to make things better?"

Satake's half-lidded eyes glazed over for a moment, his throat drying up, before his eyebrows furrowed and he released Kotone. "Damn it."

Kotone glanced at Lilim in confusion.

Satake covered his face with his hands. "Damn it!"

"Satake?"

The young yakuza boss uncovered his face and took her in, from her eyes down past her figure in the water. "You – you're just a clever little thing, aren't you?"

Kotone knew – as Narumi would say – the jig was up. "Why? Did you fall for it?"

"Almost," Satake shrugged, licking his lips. "I'd love to have you right now, kid. But you're jailbait. And that is a no-no for Kenzou Satake."

"That's a relief," Kotone mumbled. That was as far as she could have taken things, in any case. "So…"

Satake laughed. "What, Kuzunoha, did you think riling me up a little was gonna get you what you wanted?"

According to Lilim, however, negotiations were never over. Reluctantly, Kotone delicately hooked a hand on his neck. "What _do_ I want, Kenzou?"

Satake shut his eyes and removed Kotone from his person. "Don't ever say I did nothin' for you, kid." Kotone lit up. "Yeah, I figured that'd make you happy, you little devil…"

"That's a compliment," Lilim winked.

"All right," said Kotone, eagerly giving Satake back his personal space, "what can you tell me about Dahn?"

"Nothin' much. I've never seen this one before," said Satake, cracking his knuckles tensely. "Looks like an outsider to me – Goro Tatsumi in Mannen-Cho's been dealing with their bunch, though, or so I hear. Ask that lucky bastard if you really want the skinny on them."

"Goro Tatsumi in Mannen-Cho. All right." Kotone rose, once more covering the drenched towel over her chest as she bowed. "Thank you for your help, Satake."

"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes and watched her go. She really was still a kid – she didn't sway her hips or do anything tantalizing now that she had what she wanted. But who knew there would be a woman somewhere inside the little brat he met last year? "Hey, Kuzunoha."

The devil summoner whirled. "Yes?"

"Come back in a few years?"

Kotone blinked. "You would wait?"

Satake smirked. "You'd accept?"

Kotone surprised herself by giving it some thought. Her mother _did _want a tall, strong, handsome man as her daughter's husband, and it looked like Satake was swayed enough by her feminine charm (who knew she even had such a thing?) to be good to her. On the other hand, her father wanted a devil summoner for a son-in-law, certainly not a yakuza boss. And were all those tattoos really good for him?

"Kotone!" scolded her father's representative (in a way). "I can't believe you're considering this!"

"How did _you_ get in here?" Lilim put her hands to her hips.

"B-boss, sorry, it just pounced in!" said the guard at the door, now in the bathhouse. He backed off when Gouto hissed at him.

Satake ignored the eyes of his consigliere, his crew, and the rest of the outsiders for the time being. "What'll it be, Kuzunoha?"

"We'll see in a few years," said Kotone, honestly wondering if she would still be alive by then. Or if he would. Piles of dead bodies came to mind, but she brushed the image away. "Thank you, Satake."

Satake waved the guard away, nodding at Kotone in acknowledgement. "Say hi to Narumi for me, okay?"

"I will." Kotone exited the bathhouse quickly. Although no one besides Lilim could actually hear Gouto scolding her, she still felt embarrassed being yelled at in front of a lot of people, most of whom were already watching her.

Back at the bathhouse, everyone stared at Satake, who sneered. "What did I say about buggin' me during my bath time?"

Only his consigliere was brave enough to approach him. "But boss – Narumi's apprentice?"

Satake shrugged, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall smugly. "What can I say? She wants me."

* * *

"…and is that what they taught you in the village?" Gouto finished, his breathing heavy and his blood pressure rising. He hadn't witnessed the whole spectacle, but word traveled fast among Satake's men, and as soon as Kotone started touching Satake, the guards outside knew. Gossip these days was much more detailed than he remembered, too, and he wouldn't have a descendant of his waltzing around, resorting to the wiles of Lilith's children!

"I'm sorry, Gouto," said Kotone, bowing to the cat over and over again as they moved towards Mannen-Cho. "But we needed that information, quick. And you are fully aware that I wasn't going to marry him."

"You were thinking about it. I'm beginning to think Narumi should be accompanying you on these investigations."

"No." Kotone frowned. "I was just distracted for a few seconds. I know that's enough to be killed in battle…but it won't happen again. And you know father would never approve of a yakuza boss, anyway."

"No, he wouldn't," Gouto said with crushing finality.

Lilim stuck a tongue out at Gouto behind his back. "I think you did a great job, Kotone, especially for your first time."

"Don't encourage her, Lilim."

Half an hour's walk later, Mannen-Cho's gates were in sight. Kotone had never seen the guards before, but she hoped word indeed traveled fast enough for Satake's approval of her presence to reach their ears.

"Whoa, kid." One of the guards blocked her way when she tried to walk past them. "Name?"

"Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th," said Kotone perfunctorily, "working on a case in Shouhei Narumi's stead."

"Look, kid, even if you're working for that detective and all that, you gotta have Mr. Satake's go—"

A lady in a kimono approached the guard from behind, her eyes steadily focused on Kotone. She whispered something in the guard's ear before stepping back.

"Ohhh," the guard's chuckle grew to a laugh, "so _you_'re the frail who's been romancin' Mr. Satake, eh?" He eyed her appraisingly with the rest of his colleagues before shaking his head. "The boss sure has weird tastes. Well, get in."

"Weird tastes?" Gouto repeated the feline facepalm. "If this gets back to the village…"

"Oh, it'll die down eventually," said Lilim, patting Gouto comfortingly with a flick of her tail.

Kotone thanked the guard, reminding herself that as Protector of the Capital, she was well above summoning Nue and having him crush the guards with a single heave of his posterior or a little Shock Wave just because they called her odd. It was too bad; she liked throwing Nue's weight around. And she was no frail.

"Follow me," said the lady who had helped her through the guards, leading her past some little shacks. "Mr. Satake sent word that you were to be brought to the gambling parlor to…as he said, 'ease his troubles'."

"Really?" Kotone drew some interest from that. Had Satake wanted her out of his hair that badly? Maybe Lilim was smarter than she thought. "Please send my gratitude to Satake, then."

The lady smiled at first, almost unsurely, and stopped before the gambling parlor. She held the door shut, however. "Wait. Before you enter…"

"What now?" Gouto sighed.

The lady leaned closer to whisper, "How did you do it, Miss Kuzunoha?"

Kotone's eyes darted left and right. "Do what?"

"Ensnare Mr. Satake, of course." The lady looked desperate. "The man is all business. He's never even touched a girl from the Red Light district, and here you are, a high school girl without any experience in what we do, and he lets you touch him in all the right places."

"You touched him where?" Gouto gasped. Lilim doubled over at the thought of the cat having a heart attack.

"I didn't touch him anywhere inappropriate," Kotone said with some panic. If Narumi found out about this – if the Yatagarasu found out – would she be commended for going lengths to finish an investigation, or would they strip her of her title? She enjoyed her work and the company it ensured too much to let them go because of a simple mistake in a bathhouse. "And I don't think I _ensnared_ him, as you say, miss."

"Oh, apologies," said the lady, bowing to her slightly, though she was clearly older. "Please don't tell Mr. Satake I asked. It's not just me who's curious – it's the rest of the girls in the district. Because – honestly, getting on Mr. Satake's good side is the one of the best things that can happen to anyone in the Capital. The only way for us to do that is to have him want us, obviously, but it would seem you beat us to the punch, Miss Kuzunoha."

Kotone sensed some contempt from the woman, but she didn't believe Satake would actually wait for her to break out of her teens before finally taking a woman for himself. "…Sorry?" she offered.

"No need to apologize," said the lady. "Some girls just have all the luck…"

"Speaking of luck," Gouto spoke, having finally recovered, "our purpose here?"

"Oh, yes. Miss, have you seen a man named Goro Tatsumi around here?"

At the mention of Tatsumi, the lady cringed. "Oh, him? You just missed him. He usually stays past sundown just gambling these days, collecting all he can, but he went home relatively early today. Said he wanted to spend some of his earnings for a change…"

Kotone frowned. "Will he be back tomorrow?"

"For certain. Listen, there's a rumor going around that he wins so much because he's in cahoots with us, but it's not true. If Mr. Satake needed it, we would help him for sure, but Tatsumi? No way. His luck is the real deal. It's pretty annoying…"

"I see…thank you, miss," said Kotone, bowing slightly. "I'll come back for him tomorrow."

"All right. Oh, Miss Kuzunoha?"

"Yes?"

"Could you put in a good word for us here working the gambling parlor?"

"Uh…" She tried to ignore Gouto's tongue clicking. "I won't be seeing Satake in a while, I think. But I'll try when I see him again…?"

"Thank you," the lady sighed in relief, bowing in return. "Tomorrow then, Miss Kuzunoha."

"Tomorrow," Kotone agreed, and scurried back to the train station before any more of Satake's people could ask her for favors. Was that the sort of life Satake lived? No wonder he was in a sour mood.

* * *

Kotone and Gouto arrived in Yarai-Ku a little after sundown, bearing gifts for the man who spent for their lodgings. Lilim had returned to her tube earlier on, saying something about spreading the good news of another of her 'triumphs'. After all, being friends with a devil summoner had never meant letting go of one's avarice.

"We're home," Kotone called out, hanging her key on the rack. Narumi had always locked the door after dark, and if Gouto had seen the right signs last year, there was now one more person with a key to the Agency besides the detective and their protégée.

"Raidou. Gouto." Narumi was on the couch, his shoes on the floor, his socks exposed, and his head on the armrest. "How goes the search?"

"Dull. We bought dinner," said Kotone, dropping the food on the table. "Because Gouto knew you wouldn't."

"Good thing he's clairvoyant," Narumi mumbled, before allowing his assistant's words to register. He was up in a flash, sitting by the dinner table. "Hey, dinner!"

Kotone nodded, taking plates and utensils from the kitchen. "How's your headache, boss?"

"Better," replied Narumi, evenly distributing the food amongst the three of them. "Enough to join you tomorrow."

Kotone cleared her throat and began to eat. "No, it's all right, boss."

"Oh, I insist," said Narumi, a smirk playing on his lips. After moments of silence, he continued. "Lady Satake."

Gouto groaned.

Kotone asked, "What?"

"Word travels fast, remember?" Narumi shook his head. Kotone wasn't sure if he was disappointed or just amused. He didn't either. "I phoned Satake to make sure…and he says he definitely didn't start that nonsense. I doubt you did, either, but something must have happened to get all this talk going."

Kotone kept on eating.

"Do you want to tell me what happ–"

"I just visited him in the bathhouse," Kotone said quickly. "But he was in a bad mood. He wanted something tasty. I may have let one of my demons convince me to – are you all right, boss?"

Narumi had gone into a coughing fit after hearing the word _tasty_. Kotone thumped him on the back, but Gouto could only laugh. "My reaction exactly."

"I didn't do anything inappropriate," Kotone insisted, wondering how such a small decision could have brought things so far. Even her hand-to-hand fight with those two punks from before wasn't blown up this much. "I just used a little, uh, _lady's charm_" –the words felt foreign on her lips– "with the help of a friend. Satake's response wasn't dirty; he just gave me the information we needed, and then I left…"

"I don't know. The look Gouto's giving me tells me not to believe every word you're saying."

"All right, Satake may have actually treated me like a woman and not a brat for the first time, but–"

"You don't have to keep explaining yourself, of course," said Narumi, decidedly amused now. "I have a funny feeling Gouto already gave you enough haranguing to last you a year. Besides, now that word's gotten 'round about big, bad Satake waiting for a little girl to grow up, he can't just throw the blanket over it. Most people don't get how he's business-oriented, so saying he doesn't like you now is saying he doesn't like dames, and–" Narumi snickered. "He can't have that. And you know what that means for us."

Kotone's countenance brightened. "Special treatment from his cronies."

Narumi grinned. "There you go. But Satake has his enemies – and it's an age old tactic, cowardly though it may be, to go through the dames to get to their men. You're the closest thing they think he has to a weakness, and you know he isn't going to waste any goons keeping you safe, especially since you beat two of them in a fistfight last year. So be careful."

"All right, boss," said Kotone, finishing her food. Having been surrounded by older male teachers in the village growing up, she had grown accustomed to eating swiftly. She stood with her empty plate, but Narumi pulled her down.

"I'll handle the dishes today, Raidou," he said, waving her away dismissively. "After all, it was your treat. Not that you should get used to this…"

"Thanks, boss. I'll be up on the rooftop if you need me."

"Watching the stars again, huh? Don't stay up too late; we have a busy day ahead of us."

"Sure, boss."

When Kotone was gone, Narumi looked at Gouto. "You really let her in there without supervision?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "I didn't expect that from you, Gouto."

"I didn't know she was going to _seduce_ him!" Gouto scoffed indignantly, though no one could understand him. "Who knows what occurs in the minds of teenage girls and their demons?"

"Yeah, I gotcha," said Narumi. He didn't, not technically, but he had an idea of the ire Gouto was trying to get across. Kotone had told him before that the soul in the cat was the first ever Raidou Kuzunoha, but that didn't mean he had any experience guiding teenage girls through their hormones. "Coffee?"

* * *

"KOTONEEEEE!" Nue's voice rumbled, the red dots on his face – eyes, Kotone had nearly forgotten – stretching out into joyful lines as he wrapped his arms around her. Kotone felt crushed amidst all the yellow and brown, but she welcomed it and buried her face in his fur. "I MISS YOU, SUMMONER."

"As did I," said a silky smooth voice, its owner bowing like a true gentleman. Dominion placed a hand on Nue's arm, prompting the beast to release their old friend. His eyes still shone grey, even in the lack of moonlight, and his pallid smile was still genuine, however empty it may have looked to an outsider.

"I missed you too," said Kotone, shaking Dominion's hand, knowing an embrace would be too much for the demon (angel?). "How have you been?"

"ME THINK WE NEVER SEE SUMMONER AGAIN," Nue sobbed, rubbing his eyes roughly. "WHY YOU LEAVE LONG, KOTONE?"

"I was training," she explained, brushing Nue's fur. Her father had never let her keep a pet with the reason that she would grow too accustomed to its docility. Dogs, he insisted, were nothing like demons. But Nue came close to one, when he wasn't destroying his own kind for the sake of their friendship. "I'm sorry for such a long absence."

"ME UNDERSTAND," said Nue, settling down on the roof. More of a worrywart than their friend, Dominion looked relieved. He didn't want the detective's roof falling apart, after all, or Kotone and Gouto would have no place to stay. Wrapping his snake tail around Kotone, Nue made her rest against him as she did in days long past. "WE FIGHT AGAIN, SUMMONER?"

"Not tonight, Nue," said Dominion, lying down beside the beast. "Do you remember when we watched the stars one by one, long ago?"

"NO STARS IN DARK REALM."

"Well, look up."

Nue obeyed the older demon. At the million eyes twinkling in the night sky, he smiled, happily baring his jagged teeth. "ME REMEMBER! KOTONE SAY STARS MAKE SHAPES, YES?"

"They do," said Kotone, enjoying the familiar sound of their voices. Each demon of hers had a partner – a best friend, she could even say – Lilim and Leanan Sidhe, for example, and Nue and Dominion. Now that Gouto had unlocked her power to summon two of them at a time, they could fight side by side, more powerful than ever. "Do you see that one over there, to the left? It's a dung beetle."

"NOOOO," Nue sniggered, "IT _DUNG_."

"I would say it looks like a grasshopper."

"But Dominion, grasshoppers hardly look like dung beetles."

Dominion shrugged. "It isn't uncommon, is it, for two people to see things differently?"

There was a ghost of a smile on Kotone's lips. "Right."

Nue shook with laughter. "DOMINION HUMBLE SUMMONER."

Kotone reached for a tube on her chest. "It may be time for you to sleep tonight, Nue."

"NO! NO!" Nue covered his mouth. "ME GOOD DEMON!"

* * *

The following morning was busy. The _luck_ issue was growing, and the little crack between the lucky and the unlucky had widened enough to become a gaping, black hole. Oddly enough, Narumi, Gouto, and Kotone stood in the middle of it, unsure as to whether they were lucky or unlucky – they were on a fine median, Narumi insisted, a golden mean, but had he known how far the scales would tip against their favor that day, he might have been a little less smug.

The three were in Mannen-Cho as soon as the gambling parlor opened. Luckily enough, so was Goro Tatsumi.

"There he is, miss," whispered the lady from yesterday, "The one with the hat and the blue suit and that churlish stubble at the far end of the room. You can tell he isn't classy like Mr. Satake – but he sure as hell is lucky."

Kotone nodded gratefully before crouching beside Narumi, who had taken to watching one of the tables. Although he was on the lookout for anyone who might be an enemy of Satake, he reveled in the attention the man's people showered upon him. They offered him sake, a table with the worst gamblers in the house, and even women – he turned them all down, of course, because he was a modern man who liked coffee, he didn't gamble if he could help it, he liked to charm the dames his own way (which, admittedly, had not been successful of late), and because he simply enjoyed having all these offered to him over and over again.

"Boss," said Kotone, ignoring his overjoyed grin as he turned another offer for sake down, "there's Goro Tatsumi. Will you speak with him?"

Narumi followed Kotone's gaze and grimaced. He could see the arrogance in the man's posture, though he did remind him of a monkey somehow, and knew he was going to have to restrain himself if he was going to deal with Tatsumi. He looked like his breath smelled, too. "Nah," he said, "you can take care of it, can't you?"

Narumi's magic words. One of the ladies found Kotone a seat beside Tatsumi, who gave the devil summoner an amused once-over. "This is a gambling parlor," he said with a smirk Gouto would have liked to smack off his face, "It's no place for a field trip."

"You're Mr. Tatsumi, aren't you?" the summoner replied, taking on the blond foreigner's tactics. She wrinkled her nose at the whirling mist caused by the cigarettes.

The man scratched on his hat uncomfortably. "What? You wanna shake my hand or something, kid? What the heck do you want?"

Slipping a hand in her cape and taking out Dahn's photo, Kotone held it to his face. "I'm looking for this man."

"Wait." The confusion on his face was so laughable, Gouto couldn't help but snicker. "You're here about _him_? Nothing to do with me…?" Somehow, the confusion flickered swiftly into irritation. "…I've changed my mind. Get that photo outta my face. Entertain me a bit, then I'll think about talking to you."

She had to admit – the Satake business had its advantages. As soon as Tatsumi had spoken that way to her, the dealer whispered something urgent to him, her eyes wide – he still carried an arrogant stance afterwards, but at least he dropped the disdain.

Tatsumi frowned and adjusted his collar. "Well, …I guess I should be honored Satake's" –he coughed– "little girl is taking an interest in me. I'm Goro Tatsumi."

Kotone held the photo to his face again.

"Oh, that photo? Sure, lemme take a good look-see…" As soon as Tatsumi squinted at the picture, he personified panic. Kotone didn't think the man looked _that_ terrifying – in fact, he looked much better in person, and though now she realized just how suspicious she should have been of him, he didn't look as much of a brute as Narumi and the rest of the people on the street insisted. "I – I don't know him," Tatsumi finally spoke, shaking his hands as if to get the picture away from him. "Nope, n-never met him…"

"Really?" Kotone pretended to think hard. "Satake told me to ask _you_ about him, Mr. Tatsumi."

"I – uh – can't imagine why!" Tatsumi exclaimed. "Why would I know a bumpkin like that? Hey, l-lady," he said to the dealer, his fingers noticeably shaking, "deal me another one!"

"Hold the phone," said Gouto. "How can he call Dahn a bumpkin if he's only seen him in a photograph? I'd wager this Tatsumi knows more about Dahn than he's letting on – but he won't spill it willingly, that's for sure. Even if we ask him straight out, he'll just feed us a line. So…"

"Understood," Kotone mumbled, taking a tube from her chest, and released Lilim behind her. Breaking out into a coughing fit, she ordered, "Read blue's mind to me, Gouto, and boss."

"Got it," said Lilim, sultrily grinning from ear to ear, and flew behind her target. Making a few choice facial expressions, she muttered some words and pointed to Tatsumi, then to Kotone, Gouto, and Narumi.

Narumi thought his ears had popped. Every sound seemed muffled; all but one voice that amplified itself among the rest: "Wh-Why does a student have a picture of him?" it gasped, its pitch higher than what seemed to be normal for a grown man. "Maybe… when I got drunk, I blabbed… C-Can't be! There's _no_ way this kid knows about the insect…!"

All the while, Gouto and Kotone were staring at Tatsumi intently. He had known that she could read minds with the use of her demons; was she giving him a taste of that? It was interesting. Had she ever used it on him?

"Insect?" said Gouto, "We caught him in an outright lie, and he's thinking about some bug? Something's fishy here."

"I agree," said Lilim, "Let's read his mind some more."

"That'll do," said Kotone, and returned Lilim to her tube.

Having sensed the girl and her cat staring at him for the past minute, Tatsumi turned to her, his panic mixing dangerously with irritation. "Wh-what!" he demanded. "What're you still doing here, huh? Kids should be home doing homework!"

"Mr. Tatsumi," the dealer said, "please calm down…"

"Mr. Tatsumi, what if I know about the insect?"

Tatsumi dropped his cards. On the other side of the room, Narumi stood up warily. Scrambling to his feet, Tatsumi took his money and darted to the door; Narumi managed to grab him, but somehow – he was sure his palms weren't sweaty, and the material of Tatsumi's suit was rough in comparison to his own, but – the man managed to slip away.

Narumi, Gouto, and Kotone ran after him as he went deeper into Mannen-Cho. "He's rabbiting," said the cat, sprinting, "At least we know he's hiding something big!"

"Guess he's in cahoots…with our boy Dahn, huh?" Narumi panted, holding on to his hat. "All we have to do now is…make him spill…the beans about him… Wow, I…haven't had this much…exercise in a while!"

"I'm not surprised," said Gouto, "what with all the legwork he makes you do."

"What…was that, Gouto?"

"Gouto can't believe you're more out of shape than a cat."

"Hey!"

"That isn't what I said…"

They followed Tatsumi into another house, where a plump man stood guard to the back exit.

"Excuse us," Narumi said, attempting to get through, but the plump man blocked his way.

"Who are you?" said the man, "Only Mr. Tatsumi's allowed through here."

Narumi gnawed on his lip. "We don't have time for this…"

Kotone reached for a tube. "Gozuki," she said to the blue bull in green, "put him to sleep."

Narumi blinked. "What? There's no need to shed blood here–"

An unknown force knocked the man over his head with its fist.

"Thank you, Gozuki."

"No problem, man! Glad you're back!" said the bull, picking up his axe and saluting to the devil summoner with a grin, and returned to his tube.

Narumi whistled at the man on the floor. Whatever Kotone's devil did had done the job. "Well, he's still breathing. Nice job, Raidou. Come on!"

Gouto sighed as they broke into another sprint. "Kotone, you could have just used Leanan to transform into Tatsumi. I took a lock of his hair from the gambling parlor just in case, see?"

"Seeing two of Goro Tatsumi would have been as odd as falling unconscious due to a mysterious headache," Kotone reasoned.

Ahead of them was a tiny dock descending into the rushing river. Tatsumi leaned over the railings, contemplating on whether to jump or face his pursuers.

"You've cornered yourself," Narumi pointed out, crossing his arms. "What's wrong, can't answer a few questions? Why are you so concerned about some insect?"

"How could I be so unlucky?" Tatsumi cried to himself, still backing away.

Kotone took a step forward– "What do you know about–agh!" – and slipped on a banana peel.

"R-Raidou!" Narumi gasped, unsure if he should laugh or worry as he moved to help his assistant, but slipped on a banana peel just as clumsily.

Tatsumi shook with relief. "Huh...? I've only seen that happen in movies! Slipping on a banana peel…? Really? Anyway, I guess I'm still lucky!" He ran past the two and laughed. "Maybe you should send your moms after me instead – they might be a little quicker on the draw!"

"I should've caught that," said Gouto, nudging Kotone up with his head. "Sorry. Stupid banana peel…"

"Where did these even come from?" Narumi dusted himself off and pulled Kotone to her feet. "Let's go, Raidou. I need to _thank_ Tatsumi for that bit of business. No one talks about us that way…"

"Agreed," said Kotone, running past the curious townspeople into a clearing with a well and a vicious chicken. "Where did he go?"

"Excuse me!" a man screamed. His voice came from the more decorated section of Mannen-Cho, where most of Fukagawa-Cho's working girls were given lodging. "That's my house!"

"Up there," said Narumi, following the shriek. Going up some steps, he saw a woman in a kimono banging on the doors of a house. He wondered if the bright pink and yellow lanterns lining that row of houses deceived him, but – was that the person whose voice had led them here?

"You bastard!" the kimono woman screamed, only – she had the voice of a man. Narumi wondered why he was even surprised; this was the twentieth century, after all.

"Excuse us," Narumi repeated, gingerly moving the person away from the door and ignoring his screams of protest. "Raidou, in here!"

It was total darkness inside the house, and Kotone seemed to lose the door as soon as she closed it. She managed to find Narumi's back, however, by crashing her nose into it. Gouto managed to bump into her leg just as well.

"We'll never find him in the dark like this," the cat hissed. "Damn Tatsumi!"

"I didn't expect the inside to be completely dark," said Tatsumi, his voice filled with glee. "Lucky meeee!" he cheered. "Hey, I know you're there. Can you see me? Can you catch me?"

"Then again, Tatsumi can't see us either. He has to be close by," said Gouto, attempting to paw the numbness off his face. "I'm sure if we grope around the dark enough, we'll find him."

Kotone grabbed Narumi's arm and moved to her left, only to lose her footing and fall back against the detective. As he fell cursing somewhere in the dark, Narumi felt something soft and hairy under his left ankle, but something on his knee hindered his movement.

"Ngreeeeowr!" he heard Gouto cry out, and he didn't need a translation to know what that meant.

"Kotone," Gouto screeched, "move…move your foot!"

"That isn't my foot," Kotone replied, groping around for some leverage. She felt like the Great Tarrasque kicked over on his shell. "Boss, I think your foot is on Gouto's tail."

"My tail…" Gouto cried out, "M-Move your foot!"

"Move your foot, boss," Kotone repeated, leaning her arm on something firm enough to support her.

"M-Move your hand…!" Narumi yelled at Kotone, reaching over from under the rubble of – whatever it was he had knocked over to slap her arm away. "Raidou, I think your leg is on my leg!"

"What? What?" came Tatsumi's voice, "I heard a cat? Kind of…screaming…"

"Shut your…" Narumi grumbled, making sure to keep Kotone's hands away from him. "Raidou, your leg!"

"Please… that foot…my tail's…going to rip!"

Kotone moved both her legs, still attempting to at least sit up, and Narumi managed to get off Gouto's tail. The detective hit his head on something as soon as he sat up, however, and dragged Kotone by the arm down with him in an attempt to keep from falling again.

"Gahh!" Gouto screeched again, "Kotone, but I'm a cat, not a cushion…hurry and get up, I'm getting squished…you're heavy!"

"Gouto is asking if you've gained a bit of weight," Kotone told Narumi, whom she sensed was near her face. The buttons on his suit were digging into her shoulder, but his chest was enough support for her to stand.

"Owww, Raidou!"

"My whiskers…!"

"I'm outta here!" Tatsumi cheered, finally opening the door. The lantern lights didn't flood the room, but they did provide for some sight. "How lucky can one guy be! Oh," the gambler added, laughing at them before he left, "and your mom's so fat, she makes Mount Fuji look like an anthill!"

"How dare you…!" Kotone growled, taking her sword out and stretching her neck. She would have given chase, but she slipped on a book and fell – until Narumi grabbed her arm and pulled her back up.

Finally on their feet, Gouto and Narumi checked if their body parts were still intact. When all was well, the cat shook his head shamefully. "That was the most humiliating thing I've ever…"

"Come on," said Narumi, watching the murderous twist of Kotone's lips, "I can't believe we've lost him twice already…! What is with all the lucky breaks this guy keeps getting?"

"They seem almost unnatural," said Kotone, frowning. She was trained not to bat an eyelash at even the most unnerving situations, but no one would speak of _her_ mother that way. Anger seemed reasonable. "But it can't be the work of a demon – we would know."

"My thoughts exactly," said Gouto, jumping out into the street and meowing for the other two to follow. "Kotone, ask this wom – er, man – oh, just ask her where he went!"

Kotone turned to the kimono person with wide eyes. "Miss, where did Tatsumi go?"

"This is unheard of! The police is going to hear about this…!" the person cried out, but at the sight of Narumi and Kotone's disheveled clothing – his hat, her cape – and the urgent, aggravated look in their eyes, she smiled sweetly and pointed north. "Oh, he went that way."

"Let's pick up the chase," said Narumi, going past another row of houses. "He's lost us twice – there can't be a third time."

"There, up on the roof!" Gouto shouted.

"He's going to such lengths to lose us," Kotone said, following Gouto's guiding tail. "If this ends with us slipping on a banana peel…on a roof…"

Narumi was already on the rickety ladder. For a second, he thought he'd fall. "Come on, up, up, up!"

"Ngreeeeeeowr!" Gouto cried out, tears lining his eyes as Kotone tossed him into the air.

"Raidou, are you trying to kill Gouto?" Narumi balanced himself on the roof in an attempt to catch the cat, but a rush of wind sent him sliding back.

"He's all right, boss," Kotone reassured him, having sent Aeros flying out of his tube to soften her mentor's fall. "I'd never let you down on purpose, Gouto," she said, grinning. "And don't cats always land on their feet?"

"Since when has the Kuzunoha training entailed sadism?" Gouto wheezed, pawing at his poor heart and waving Aeros away thankfully. "You're lucky I've ridden a rocket already, or…"

"No time—" Kotone ran past Narumi and leapt over the gap to reach the next roof, her cape billowing behind her. The detective wondered how she kept that school cap on her head without even lifting a finger, but decided that Tatsumi was a more pressing issue.

"Maybe you should have jumped into the river instead," Narumi said when they found Tatsumi cornered against the last roof, after which there was only the hard ground to leap toward. "Why make this hard for yourself? All you gotta do is answer a few questions and things'll be peachy between us."

Tatsumi crouched down and stuck his head in between his knees. "N-No, this can't be…!"

"Oh, but it–"

The world around them began to shift – flow, even, as though they were engulfed in water – and their vision blurred. Kotone clawed at her eyes. Tears? No, she certainly hadn't cried since she thought Gouto died a year ago.

When the shifting stopped, there were two men clothed all in black blocking their way to Tatsumi. There were beetle horns on top of the masks they wore, and red boxes tightly strapped to their hips.

"Who…" muttered the first masked man, "are yew?"

"The Narumi Detective Agency," Narumi said, glancing at Kotone quizzically. The devil summoner had a penchant for making friends with the strangest characters, but judging by her raised eyebrow, she wasn't responsible for these fellows' appearance this time. "Who might you be?"

"None o' yer beeswax," said the second masked man. "Though we appreciate yer honesty, it ain't gonna do you any good… We ain't too fond of dogs who sniff around in the wrong yard. Lay off yer search for Dahn."

Gouto pawed at Kotone's pant leg. "These men know Dahn…?"

The masked man continued, "Yew lookin' for anyone else, Mr. Detective?"

"That's him, right there," said Narumi, rudely pointing a finger at the cowering figure behind them. "You're interfering with our investigation. Step aside, please – we have business to do with Mr. Tatsumi."

"Sorry," said the masked man, "but we can't let yew do that. If yew'd just stayed away from Mannen-Cho, we woulda left yew alone...Oh well, guess yew got no one to curse but yer own bad luck!"

"What–" Narumi frowned, letting Kotone take the reins and unsheathe her sword (it was like having a bodyguard, actually, only she was a little girl and he was a former spy, which made it just a little embarrassing). As soon as she tried to move forward, however, the world turned black.

* * *

Narumi woke to a burnt orange sunset – webbed in black? He blinked a few times and shook his head, but the black webs didn't go away. They spanned the area, this place with eternal sunset, and something was falling all around him. Snow? He looked up. It was all webbing, too – or wings, maybe. It reminded him of the intricate stirrings on insect wings. In any case, it wasn't snow. And there was the invasive scent of wet grass.

"Spores," said a voice behind him, not that he could understand it. It came out as a meow, and he turned to its source slowly.

"Gouto," he said, grabbing his hat from beside the cat. "Where…are we?"

The cat blinked at him once and turned around. He meowed out, which reminded Narumi – where was Raidou?

"Kotone, Narumi's awake," was what Gouto had said, and Kotone appeared from one of the tines of the fork ahead.

"Boss," she said, picking up the pace as she saw him awake. "Are you all right?"

"Raidou…" Narumi accepted her offer to pull him to his feet. "What is this…?"

"The Fukorutsubo, according to the men who placed us here. It's a spell," she shrugged, preoccupied with the two paths laid out before them. Of course, this part of the puzzle was no problem now – she had done a bit of exploring while he was out cold. "Now, these two paths lead to the same room. But entering it from different directions seems to affect how far we can get from this starting point."

"And how far have you gotten?"

"So far, I've only reached past that room before you get attacked by demons and I need to save you."

Well, that didn't make him sound like a damsel in distress at all. "Demons?"

"Yes. In fact, just minutes before you woke – Ice Bullet!" If she wasn't a devil summoner, Narumi thought, maybe she could have worked at a circus. With some sleight of hand he was too groggy to catch, she pulled a tube from her chest, switched out her revolver, and the sound of five gunshots rang out in the tunnel, bouncing around till it pounded in his ears.

Narumi turned around and watched a little green thing holding a spoonful of flames explode into a barrage of bright green orbs that flew into Kotone like dust into a vacuum. "So – demons – that's what they look like."

"Not all of them," said Kotone, her voice slightly muffled. A puff of white wearing a blue jester's collar and earmuffs had its appendages – arms? legs? – wrapped around the summoner's face, a childish squeal escaping its figure.

"Ko-ho-ne!" he chirped (at least, it sounded like a very childish he), with boots that matched his collar loosening from Kotone's neck as the white puff jumped off. "I hee-missed you ho much! Oh, hi, Ho-to!"

Gouto waved an indifferent paw at the little demon. Showing too much interest in him would earn him a bearhug, and the old soul wasn't up to being suffocated at the moment.

"I missed you too. Good job, Jack," said Kotone, patting the puff on his muffs pleasantly.

Upon closer inspection, Narumi realized _Jack_ had a face. He was like a snowman – a lump for the body and another lump for the head, which had two black dots for eyes and a black abyss for a mouth with only two fangs as teeth. _Jack_ seemed to notice him, too, and found himself cradled in Narumi's arms as fast as the man's own trigger hand. "Ho-oo are you?" he asked, rudely poking at his chest. Then again, if this was a demon, Narumi thought, he supposed he didn't have to have manners.

"Jack Frost," Kotone explained, catching Narumi's bewildered expression. "A Frost-order demon. He means well."

"Call me Narumi," said the detective, setting him down gently. "Nice to meet you, uh – Jack."

"Mr. Naru-hee!" Jack Frost clapped his hands and somehow climbed his way onto Narumi's back. It seemed he belonged to the circus with Kotone. "I'm hee-going to protect you now, ho!"

The tic was a little irritating, but he could put up with it. In a way, Jack was an…animal…wasn't he? And he had a way with them – even if this kind of beast could probably eat him if it wanted to. "I thought we normal humans couldn't see demons?"

"This place is somehow connected to the Dark Realm, where even you can see them…I guess." Kotone tossed him her revolver. "Here, boss. If we come upon any more demons, tell Jack Frost to cast Ice Bullet. It should do the trick for most we encounter. Especially for Pyro-order demons. But remember to stun them enough so they can't retaliate at once, because Jack is weak to their attacks, too."

"What?"

"Never mind. Jack Frost, protect Mr. Narumi, all right?"

"You hee-got it, Ko-ho-ne!"

Narumi received a crash course in demons and devil summoning for the next x-amount of time (his watch went crazy here; he had no way of telling). Now he understood why summoners were trained from childhood – they had to learn how to be able to tell their demons apart from the rest and memorize each weakness of every demon order and learn how to swordfight, shoot, and have proper negotiating skills all at the same time. He figured he wouldn't do too badly in the negotiating bit, but he had case files exactly so that he wouldn't have to take up too much space in his head when it came to information, and no doubt his brain would have exploded with all the skills and fusions (sick, really) he would have had to learn by heart.

He was introduced to Kotone's demons, too; at least, the ones who were available. Raidou had summoned letters from some tubes saying they would return in a day or so because they had sick siblings and a bunch of other excuses (family reunions – really?), but most of them were all right – if a little odd. An abomination named Nue had tackled him with a thousand licks to the face, claiming he had missed 'FUNNY OLD MAN' as well. Jack Frost introduced him to his brothers Hiruko (creepy little thing) and Pyro Jack, who tested his hee-resilience by setting his hat on fire (Jack Frost blew it out immediately after receiving a look from Raidou). Gozuki introduced himself and his partner as 'the brutes', something Mezuki did not appreciate, and Narumi was forgotten soon after an argument broke out between them. Leanan Sidhe was graceful, truly a lady, but professed a secret aversion to men and disappeared quickly after. Lilim set to discovering the contours of the male body as soon as she appeared, but stopped when Dominion flew out of his tube and narrowed his eyes at her. Aeros and Undine seemed the most sane out of them all, both calm and well-mannered, if not a little distant.

"All right." Narumi stopped after their fourteenth battle with a pack of Fury-order demons, panting for his breath. That life as a spy seemed so far away now, and so mundane compared to seeing all these monstrosities pop out of Yatagarasu knew where. "I _know_ we've been here for more than half an hour. And what was that just now?"

"A Fury Nezha," Kotone replied, wiping her sword with the end of her cape. Demon blood was a lot less viscous than humans', but it was still disgusting, watching the purple stuff drip from her blade. "They're nice when they're on your side."

"I'm sure they are," Narumi grumbled, thumping a fist at his chest. Any more of seeing big, red men with screws embedded in their temples and he was sure he to have a heart attack. "Do we have an escape plan, Raidou?"

Kotone and Gouto exchanged glances. They had a penchant for simply finding the exit after roaming around for some time. Some might even call it luck.

Narumi groaned. "Then how are we ever going to…Oh. Look." Ahead of them was one of the butterfly wings that served as markers around the hellish place. Before it were the two masked men, who'd patronizingly told Raidou that she would be home by supper.

Kotone drew her sword and approached them swiftly. She hadn't even had lunch yet.

"H-hey!" one of them took a step back. His accent was so thick, Narumi could barely understand him. "How'd yew find us here? Yew must have some luck…but yer luck's run out now!"

The two strangers each unsheathed two katanas, bending their knees into a trained fighting stance. Kotone did the same, motioning for Gouto and Narumi to back away.

"Sorry to do this to civilians," said the other man, "but we can't have anyone takin' us lightly."

Despite the composure obvious in Kotone's ready stance, Narumi was worried. It was one thing to hear of the devil summoner's exploits and fight undead supersoldiers with her by his side, but it was another one entirely to have to sit through a two-on-one battle with strangers in an even stranger place without being able to do a thing to help.

Kotone beckoned to the strangers with a nod. She wanted to leave this place as soon as she could. She could never admit it, but all the business with the insect wings and the spores made her shudder.

"Hey…" said the ninja to his companion, "let's use that thing. Once they see that, they'll wet 'emselves with fear!" Kotone could tell he was smirking under his mask as he turned to her. "Get ready!"

The other one cackled in agreement. "Try not to piss yer pants when yew see this…Come, Jiromaru!"

A loud, grating screech filled the air. One of the spores in the distance neared them and glowed, brighter and larger as seconds passed, until it was right before Kotone. The spore released a great flash of light, and then there was a huge face in Kotone's, ticking and clicking with empty white eyes. It bobbed its antennae together menacingly.

It was all Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th could do not to scream. It was an insect – black and silver and snapping its teeth at her, and large and twitchy and _it had wings_. Translucent, hideous wings that made the most disgusting whirring sounds when they flapped together, and it was right in her face. Kotone could handle being ostracized from her classmates in school for her constant absences, demons, soulless armies, the dark, Dr. Victor's creepy laboratory, and math, but this was too much. Now _that_ was a grasshopper…

* * *

Next chapter quote sneak peek time!

_"H-holy cats, you haven't…forgotten about me, have you?"_

REVIEWWWWWW


	3. Still a Child

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Woot reviews!

**Fervour**: Thanks! Hmmm. I was thinking she either held it in her free hand or under her hat XD

**CallMeJack**: Haha yay fem!Raidou! I've seen it done a lot for other fandoms (I think...by that I guess I mean Naruto, hahaha!) which was why I was scared of publishing this at first, but I really wanted to try and see how a girl Raidou would act. Still, I hope I'm being (somehow, anyhow) faithful to the Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th figure, because he's one of my favorite game protagonists considering he's a silent character. I agree about needing more Devil Summoner fics! Most people I know don't even bother with the game because of the lack of voice acting, unlike in the Persona games :(

Thanks a ton for reviewing! I really appreciate it! Now I know someone's reading this, heheh.

Previously...

_It was all Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th could do not to scream. It was an insect – black and silver and snapping its teeth at her, and large and twitchy and it had wings. Translucent, hideous wings that made the most disgusting whirring sounds when they flapped together, and it was right in her face. Kotone could handle being ostracized from her classmates in school for her constant absences, demons, soulless armies, the dark, Dr. Victor's creepy laboratory, and math, but this was too much. __Now _that_ was a grasshopper…_

* * *

_Chapter 3: Still a Child_

"Stand your ground, Kotone!" Gouto ordered sternly, knowing the fear in her frozen knees. It wasn't so much fear as disgust crawling up her spine, but it unnerved her nonetheless, he knew. He had learned that the hard way, once, when they were investigating and he'd been distracted by a butterfly. She summoned Hiruko with a gasp foreign to a Raidou Kuzunoha as soon as she laid eyes on it, and the demon eagerly gobbled up the poor thing. This had been reported to the Yatagarasu, and he was sure she was given training to get her accustomed to the creatures, but even the clan hadn't expected a hulking insect to be part of Raidou's next mission.

"It's so big, ho!" Jack Frost gasped, covering his mouth dramatically. "Do we free-heeze it?"

Beside the demon, Narumi held on to his hat. "Yikes… Do we shoot it?"

"No," said Kotone, clearing her throat and keeping her voice solid, somehow. "I…can take care of this. Protect the boss, Jack Frost."

The insect shrieked and stabbed at Kotone's feet with one of its steel arms, barely missing as the summoner jumped backward. She bumped into Narumi, whom Jack Frost dragged away with Gouto at once. Jiromaru – it didn't matter if it had a name, Kotone promised herself, because she was going to destroy this thing at once – leapt into the air, disappearing somewhere above the veil of the black webs.

"Where did it go?" Narumi yelled.

"Keep moving!" If there was anything she learned in previous battles, it was that moving targets were the worst. It must have been true even for bugs, because Jiromaru chose to dive down at her as soon as Narumi and the others ran off. She rolled away right before it found her. The ground shook as the insect made impact, nearly knocking Kotone down, but she caught herself and skidded back on her shoes instead. They repeated this a few times, with Jiromaru attacking and Kotone dodging, without any notable results.

"Kotone, finish this!" Gouto ordered.

"I can't land a hit," she replied, though part of her knew it was because she didn't want even just her precious blade – that dangerous extension of herself – touching something so dirty and, honestly, _gross_ as an insect. But Gouto was right. Hiruko was too small to eat this one… And suddenly she remembered her much younger days, when an older cousin caught sight of an ant and brought out a magnifying glass…

She brought out a tube. "Pyro Jack, Agidyne to the wings!"

The pumpkin-headed devil had little time to greet his brother, setting to hovering fast over this new enemy. Holding his lamp to his face, he huffed, and puffed – and blew a flurry of flames down at Jiromaru, who cried out in pain. Kotone felt herself drained of energy, hardly used to commanding such a powerful spell anymore, but was glad to see Jiromaru's wings browning with the flames. Though tiny, Pyro Jack rushed at the insect while it was weak, sending ounces of magnetite to his summoner.

Kotone stood back, breathing in the energizing flow of green orbs phasing into her, and braced herself as soon as she returned Pyro Jack to his tube. "Stab it," she chanted. "Plunge your blade right into its heart…"

And she would have done it, too, had Jiromaru not suddenly cried and flown away with the little wings it had left.

Narumi was dumbfounded enough to drop Raidou's gun. The masked men were just as shocked, sputtering out in confusion.

"Y-Yew beat up Jiromaru? Y-yew not the fresh-faced kid yew look like, are yew? No one who can beat Jiromaru is…And what're those little monsters…?"

"A-All right," said the other one, pulling himself together. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hang on to yer hat, kid. Once ah unleash this thing, then yer really in for it – and yew'll have nothing to blame but yer own damn luck!"

"Enough about this luck," said Gouto impatiently, having hissed at Narumi for dropping the gun on his head. "Kotone—huh…?"

One of the men had taken out the red box on his waist and was holding it in the devil summoner's direction. There was something golden, shining and floating towards her—she staggered, Kotone, feeling naked and empty for a quarter of a second, and then the shining object disappeared into the red box.

Gouto glanced from the men to Kotone and back. "Wh-What did they do…?"

Narumi repeated the question unknowingly to the men themselves, but his question went unanswered.

"We can leave 'er be, now," they agreed. "She's done for, anyway. We better report back to our leader."

They disappeared with another wave of vision, sending the world around them shaking. Again Kotone felt as if she were crying, her eyes growing blurry, but this time she managed to recover and regain her sight. It was noon now, judging by the sun's placement in the sky. They were back on the Mannen-Cho rooftops.

"Looks like we're back to square one," Gouto sighed, slumping slightly. "They sure gave us a run-around. C'mon, you two. Let's pick up the search for Tatsumi here."

Narumi was on his posterior with a hand still firm on his hat. He shook his head and groaned. "What did you say, Gouto?"

"We should resume our search for Tatsumi. After some lunch," replied Kotone, offering him a hand, but he refused it and sat for a while longer.

"Yeah, great…" Narumi groped his shoulders and back quizzically. "Where did Jack Frost go?"

"I'm still here, ho!" Jack Frost cheered, pouncing on the detective's knees, but Narumi could no longer sense him. "Aww…"

"You can't see him anymore, boss," said Kotone. "We are out of the Fukorutsubo."

"Oh." Narumi looked almost disappointed. And just as he was starting to get used to the little guy, too. "Well, how about some lunch?"

Gouto's stomach rumbled. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea…"

"_Hee hee hee heee…_"

Kotone and Gouto stiffened. Kotone returned Jack Frost.

Gouto was on his toes. "Kotone, this presence…!"

Even Narumi could sense the dread that swallowed his earlier relief. He glanced at Raidou from the corner of his eye. "A friend of yours returning from a family reunion, perhaps?"

"None of my friends laugh that way," she said to Narumi though he hadn't heard a thing, and nodded at Gouto. "Be careful. There's a demon nearby."

"Not a demon! Biiiiiiiiiiiinbou!" said a high-pitched voice behind Kotone. There was an upside-down man hanging from a cloud, swinging himself left and right. Hail showered from his oily hair as he whipped himself forward and backward, his robes old and dirty. Kotone wrinkled her nose at his days old stench, but he was much better than an insect.

"Greetings!" said the man with a shrill voice, swishing about. "I am Biiiiiinbou! Binbou-gami!"

"What is that smell?" Narumi covered his nose and mouth. "Raidou…?"

"This isn't just a demon – it's a Fiend!" Gouto exclaimed. "But what is it doing here…?"

"Careful, boss," Kotone repeated. "This is no ordinary demon. Stay with Gouto. He'll guide you to safety."

"What…?" Narumi looked around, though Binbou-gami was already swinging right in front of him. "On second thought, seeing demons might not be such a bad thing…"

"Come on, Narumi," said Gouto, pawing at his shoes. They backed into a more stable part of the roof.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Binbou-gami cried out, his high-pitched whining grating heavily on Kotone's ears. "Well, I'll forgive you for now…because you're such an unlucky girl. I rather like unlucky people…You know, I'm so pleased to have found you!"

As he spoke, Kotone pondered if beheading him or simply running her sword through his stomach would be best.

"Hohoho…" Binbou-gami giggled girlishly, opening his arms to her. "You shall warm me up, for I am so cooooooold!"

Kotone reached for a tube. "Pyro Jack?"

"Ko-ho-ne!" Pyro Jack appeared with a flash of green light, his throat raspy compared to Jack Frost's sweet tone and Hiruko's airy voice. "Another hee-enemy already, ho?"

"Binbou-gami," she informed him, avoiding the hail falling from the Fiend's hair. "I'm not sure about his weakness, but he is asking me to warm him up. I thought you might do the trick."

"I def-hee-nitely would!" Pyro Jack said proudly. "But what if it hee-drains my flames, Ko-ho-ne?"

"Enough chatter!" Binbou-gami wailed. With a forward swing, he knocked Kotone off the roof.

"Raidou!" Narumi ran forward to grab her hand, but found she was floating in mid-air. Gouto clawed at him, forcing him to back down, and the detective realized it must have been Aeros setting her back down on the roof.

"Thank you," said Kotone, sending the elemental back to his tube. She turned to Binbou-gami. "Now…Pyro Jack, Agidyne!"

Pyro Jack blew a burst of flames at the Fiend, laughing triumphantly at the sound of fire rushing through the air, only to find that Binbou-gami had disappeared. "Wha…?"

"Warm me uuuup!" Binbou-gami cried, appearing behind him, and swished in his direction. Like a swatted fly, Pyro Jack was sent hurtling through the air with a pained cry. Kotone pulled him back into his tube before he could disappear from sight.

"I want youuuu to warm me up," Binbou-gami continued, opening his arms again. "Not your friends! Come ooooon! Since we're both so unlucky, let's share our misfortune till one of us is dead!"

Kotone drew her sword. "If that is your wish."

"Oh, such a noble summoner!" Binbou-gami giggled, and beckoned to her with a flick of his fingers. "Come on, I'm so cooooold!"

Kotone ran at him and thrust her blade forward. He disappeared.

Realizing he would play his trick on Pyro Jack on her, she whirled, slashing her sword, but slipped.

Narumi and Gouto turned to each other. "A banana peel?"

"Impossible…" Kotone got up and threw the banana peel down the roof. She rushed at Binbou-gami again, only to slip on another peel and fall to her knees.

"You're so unlucky," Binbou-gami said, clapping his hands. "I just love it! Your attacks have all the strength of a slap with a wet noodle! Heeheeee!"

"This isn't looking good," Gouto frowned. "Fiends are nothing to sneeze at, but fighting one can't be this hopeless… Narumi, shoot him while Kotone isn't in range!"

Narumi continued to watch Kotone run around, slashing at nothing, with bated breath.

Gouto groaned. Of all the times to be a cat…

He and Kotone seemed to be of the same mind, however. "Boss, my gun, please!"

"Right!" Narumi obeyed, tossing it to her, but Binbou-gami got to her before she could catch it.

"Don't warm him up, warm meeeee!" He swung again, this time with such force that Kotone flew off the roof. The devil summoner hit her head on the neighboring roof with a _thud_. The world spun. She struggled to regain her equilibrium, but found herself slipping off the roof, settling for another world filled with black…

"Raidou!" Narumi leapt onto the other roof a little too late. He peered off the edge. There was no one at the bottom, just Raidou's cape caught on a hook in the wall. "Her cape…she's…gone?"

"How unlucky!" Binbou-gami cried, hovering above Narumi without his knowledge. "All I wanted was to be waaaaarm…"

Gouto's hairs stood up at the proximity of one so powerful as a Fiend. He pawed at Narumi's hand. "We need to get out of here, post-haste…"

"You'll warm me up next time! Heeheeheee!" the Fiend cackled, taking one last look at the ground, and disappeared.

Gouto slumped against Narumi's kneeling figure on the roof. They were confused, tired, hungry, and _where_ was Raidou?

* * *

Light. Like a sudden camera flash. Flash, flash, flash… Like a thousand camera flashes.

Kotone felt the hard ground under her hat, back, and knees. It was very uncomfortable sleeping this way. She always lay on her side with a pillow between her knees. And she never slept with her cousin's uniform on, no matter how tired she was. She had never even slept with her own uniform on.

"Mother…" she called out, her throat dry. "Water…"

The flashes subsided, leaving the sound of noisy crickets in its wake. Kotone covered her ears until that noise subsided, too, but a high-pitched y_eeee_ seemed to be stuck in her skull. Ignoring it, she regained the use of her limbs and propped herself up.

The world around was like a blazing storm, with red and orange and blinding white swirling dangerously around the platform she'd been sitting on, only there was no sound, no rushing of air, only that high-pitched sound and then nothing. Below her, orange lines swirled the ground, and all around spheres of gold and yellow hovered dangerously, smaller circles covering each of them like eyes ever watching.

Kotone stood and began to walk, the events of – she wasn't sure how long ago – replaying in her mind. Did Binbou-gami do this? She felt cold and realized her cape was gone, and the ground was rippling with air she couldn't feel. There was a presence behind her—she thought of drawing her sword, only to realize that that had disappeared, too.

She was wearing a mask. Rather, the presence behind her had turned out to be herself in a mask she barely recognized. She was sure she'd seen it somewhere before, striped asparagus and myrtle green and circles within circles embedded within, with red lines for upturned eyes and a mouth, perpetually turned downward. She thought of watermelons. This couldn't be her 'self' from the parallel dimension; she was a he, there, and much more composed than she was. (Handsome, too, she would not deny.) Unsurely, Kotone offered her masked self a hint of a smile.

Like ripples of water from a still lake, the world seemed to pulse as the masked Kotone began to speak, swiftly. "You who play the role of _Raidou_ and witness this spectacle, worry not. I am here to become your salvation. The day of misfortune that is close at hand – if you have seen this spectacle, then woe betide you. However, you, like so many others, must become a living witness. There will come a day when this world is overcome by misfortune. You will bear witness to this."

Kotone's almost-smile faded. This other self certainly carried her voice, but that couldn't ever be something she would say.

The masked other continued before she could reply. "But this world's future beyond that day of misfortune…Please…" She came closer, almost as if to hold Kotone's hand, but she didn't. "I wish for you to refrain from despairing. Think of this mask's 'sorrowful' face as the combined wishes of the people. Your determination to be _Raidou_ is already a beacon of hope. Your actions are hope…Kotone."

The storm blazed on. A flash of white, and then black again.

* * *

Kotone shifted, trying to get rid of the dizzy feeling. She felt the soft ground under her head, back, and calves. Still no pillow between her knees, but she was lying on her back this time; it was acceptable. Yet it didn't matter, with the words of the masked other still ringing in her mind.

_Your actions are hope…Kotone._

Kotone felt warm and realized her cape was draped over her body, and that the ground under her was actually Narumi's maroon couch in the agency. She opened her eyes and came face to face with a woman, gray-eyed with a piquant nose. The woman's hair was flat, just a little longer than hers.

"You're awake!" the woman exclaimed, the unsure line on her lips widening into a smile. She turned away, standing, and disappeared from Kotone's hazy line of vision. "Narumi! Kotone's…"

"...Oh?" Footsteps pounded into the room. Narumi came into view, and the woman, too, with pink puffed sleeves and a relieved expression. Narumi gave her the half-irritated, half-amused grin again. "You had me going there, Raidou. Even Gouto was worried. Wouldn't stop pawing at me…"

Gouto pounced onto her stomach out of nowhere, looking her in the eye and making sure she was all right. He was heavier than she remembered. "Please, he was more worried. Without me, I'm sure he'd have gone off like a moron again like he did last year after our disappearance from Waden One. Anyway… you suddenly vanished," he said, a rare gentle tone in his voice. She'd only ever heard it once, right before she thought he died. "When Binbou-gami threw you across the roofs, you slipped, but you were gone before you fell."

Kotone nodded. Her throat was no longer dry. "And Binbou-gami…?"

"He went off somewhere. A lone stroke of luck in a whole heap of misfortune."

"I found Narumi and the kitty looking lost at Mannen-Cho," said the woman after Gouto finished meowing. "We returned to the agency after hours of searching for you, but there you were, just lying on the doorsteps. Narumi carried you up here."

Kotone nodded and sat up. "Thanks, boss," she said to Narumi, who shrugged, and looked back to the woman. "And thank you for finding them."

The woman placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at the summoner with a pout. "Say, Kotone, that look on your face isn't one of those _Who is this dame?_ looks, is it?"

Kotone blinked.

The woman gasped, holding a hand to her heart. "H-holy cats, you haven't…forgotten about me, have you?"

Finally, her pout and her nose and eyes registered in Kotone's mind. It was no wonder the woman looked so strange; she was lacking her bonnet. "How could I forget?" Kotone saved, with a small chuckle from Narumi. "Miss Asakura. It's such a pleasure to see you again."

The woman cheered and hugged her. "I knew it! How could anyone forget a face like Kichou Asakura's?"

Kotone caught a small smile on Narumi's lips. They met eyes, she imitating his oddly cheery smile, at which his own faded and he cleared his throat. "I think everything's dandy now, Tae. You were in the middle of something, right?"

Miss Tae Asakura huffed at Kotone's boss. "Got wax in your ears, Narumi? I know I've told you before that it's Kichou Asakura. While I'm on the beat, it's Kichou, got it? Kichou Asakura, the Daily Capital's best woman!" She scoffed even louder at Narumi's distinct upturn of eyes. "But you're right; I've got work to do. I need to figure out where I'm going with this article by tonight..." She approached the door, taking her hat and keys from the rack. "See you around, Kotone. You too, Gouto. And…Narumi too."

"Take care, Miss Asakura," Kotone called out, before Tae shot Narumi one last look and disappeared.

Narumi crossed his arms. "Forgetting for a sec that she left me, who's only the agency's founder, for last…" He pulled out a seat from the coffee table and sat before Kotone. "What happened out there, Raidou? You're the last person I expect to find passed out in front of the office."

Kotone recalled her masked other's words. As a whole, they made no sense. That her actions were hope – it may have been hubris, but Raidou was not completely surprised by such a statement. She was, after all, the protector of the Capital. It was her duty to defend it from impending doom, from any disaster that might befall it. The only wonder was that it came from a masked version of herself, in a platform surrounded by a fiery storm, and that she had no idea what would bring about this day of misfortune. Was it the vision she saw once in that corridor, of the mountains of corpses and that great mushroom cloud in the sky? No…it was too early.

"I don't know why I passed out," she said, honestly. "What occurred after is…I know too little. I can't explain it yet."

Narumi gnawed on his lower lip, as he was wont to do when he was thinking hard. "I think it's about time for the Narumi Detective Agency's first Investigational Meeting in a while, huh, Raidou?"

* * *

Houses blurred past, and buildings and telephone wires. There was no countryside view, not in the Capital, though the river below was nice to see. Kotone wondered if it would stay that clean forever. The train ride was quick compared to the boring trip to Shinoda. There was an old woman to her right talking about how kids had it easier these days, with all the trains and the telephones to convenience them, and across her there was a noisy family of seven with children screaming about and asking how much further it would be.

Gouto breathed a sigh of relief when they left the train. He was all for modernization and convenience (maybe someday they could create artificial opposable thumbs), but the noise in that cramped train was giving him a headache.

The Investigational Meeting had concluded with the decision to speak with Akane. Her father, Tasuke Narita, had his residence in the deeper parts of Kasumidai, a little ways past the army headquarters. Narumi and Kotone agreed that only she would pay Akane a call. A visit from a detective would no doubt set the councilman off, after all, and they didn't want to admit to having taken a case from his daughter until after they'd solved it if they could help it. (Then again, there was still the matter of discovering why there was no evidence of Tasuke Narita ever having a child.) Indeed, sending a girl in a boy's uniform with a schoolcap and a cape hiding a sword and a gun, alone, would be much less conspicuous.

The Narita residence was a sizable mansion, with about three floors if Kotone's guess was right. The butler must have seen her coming in from the window, because he opened the door right as she stepped on the wide front porch.

"Good afternoon," he said, giving her a once-over. He seemed dissatisfied with her appearance and settled with a disdainful expression. "Do you have some business here? There is no one on the guest sheet."

"Good afternoon." Kotone peeked inside, past the butler's head. There was a long vestibule from the door to the next room, and a path to the right the wall blocked. It was all brown inside, dreary, with yellow-orange lamps and expensive antiques that made the place look like an aging photograph. The dark realm was livelier. "I'm looking for Miss Akane Narita…?"

The butler narrowed his eyes at her and the cat at her side. "Who might you be?"

"A friend."

"Come in." When they were inside, he stopped and pointed to her spot directly in between the door and the room. That hallway to the right led to a larger area with grand stairs, but she could see nothing past it. "…Wait here, please." The butler disappeared into what Kotone thought to be a drawing room.

"That wasn't suspicious," Gouto remarked when they were alone, which wasn't for long. The butler returned soon with an older, taller gentleman with a mustache and glasses. Behind the stern shine of his spectacles Kotone saw a distant expression.

"This is the student, sir," said the butler, motioning to Raidou. He didn't even acknowledge Gouto.

"Good afternoon, sir," said Kotone, bowing to the man as he pushed his glasses further into the bridge of his nose. With the way he so authoritatively stared her down from head to toe, this was clearly Councilman Narita.

The councilman didn't acknowledge it. "Not only have you come to the house of Tasuke Narita with a sword tucked beneath your cape, dressed as a young man… You're dropping Akane's name. And that, child, I cannot ignore."

Neither Kotone nor Gouto flinched, a product of intense Kuzunoha clan training, though they wondered how the councilman knew of the blade under her cape. Or that she was a girl. He must have detected the subtle _shing_ of the blade as she moved, and the lightness in her voice. Kotone said, allowing her voice to take its natural pitch, "My father believes that even a girl must have the means to protect herself."

Councilman Narita brushed that off with a wave of his hand. "And how do you know Akane…?"

Kotone pursed her lips, brewing up a lie in her thoughts.

"You will answer me, girl. Don't think there's anything you can hide from a man in my position."

"We met in the Capital," said Kotone, automatically. All she'd needed was some time to finish the story in her mind. "Miss Narita paid us a call. I'm only returning the courtesy." It wasn't a lie.

Councilman Narita frowned at her, knowing very well that the child before him was hiding something the way she hid that sword under her cape. He was about to speak when familiar gentle footsteps entered his home.

"I'm home…" Akane. "Huh…?" She recognized the cape. "K-Koto—Raidou? Why are you…?"

Her 'father' – Kotone still wasn't sure of it all – crossed his arms. "Your timing is either impeccable or unbelievably poor. Explain yourself, Akane."

Akane's eyes fell to the floor. Kotone refrained from sighing. When she was a child, she'd done the exact same thing when caught red handed, before her father taught her how to lie. Akane was going to tell the truth.

And she did. After a long explanation about the Narumi Detective Agency, the Councilman gave Akane a reproving look.

"I thought I warned you not to leave Kasumidai."

"I'm sorry," said Akane, looking away shamefully. She was everything Raidou Kuzunoha the 13th had taught his daughter not to be. Submissive, meek, gentle… "I…I'll take care not to in the future."

The Councilman seemed to accept it, as he turned to Kotone absentmindedly. "Raidou, was it?"

Kotone nodded.

"I've been embarrassed in front of you here, but don't press your luck. Do you understand the principles of the strong and the weak in society? Who is stronger: you or me?"

Kotone couldn't help but appraise the councilman, despite Narumi's desire to impress him and earn more money for coffee beans. Even with his suit, she could tell he was no ordinary politician, but she was young, sprightly, and a trained Kuzunoha warrior. With a flick of her sword, even society's hierarchies wouldn't matter. This she knew. Gouto had once told her that she was his finest descendant; that she, despite having only been a young girl of sixteen, had done his name proud. This she believed. Looking Narita in the eye, she replied, "…_I_ am."

Akane and the butler looked taken aback, while Gouto continued to watch silently. Narita quirked an eyebrow. "You think knowing one of my secrets places you above me? You dare to look down on me…?"

"It isn't a matter of looking down on you," replied Kotone. By secret, did he mean the fact that he had a daughter? "Despite the modern turn of society, the traditional ways to measure strength still exist. You are no weakling. But I…" She felt almost embarrassed to say it before a woman so innocent as Akane, but she was certain of her words: "I am stronger."

Narita scoffed. "All very brash and heroic, to be sure. But you have a lot to learn about the world."

Kotone would have liked to return that scoff, to tell him of the events of the past year, how she and Shouhei Narumi and Gouto and one of her friends saved _his_ world from a hateful little 'god', his machines, and another of Gouto's descendants, and how she had witnessed the horrible future that would befall the world a century from this time. It wasn't a burden she cherished, knowing the future, but she thought it deserved her more than a simple dismissal because of her youth.

She kept her mouth shut, however, for Narumi's sake, and the councilman continued. "Now, then. Playing detective is a cute hobby for the young…but allow me to warn you, Raidou, that it's important to know when to quit." Raidou didn't break eye contact, though Akane, watching the exchange, bowed her head and tinkered with one of her curls in shame. "I'll leave the more complicated business to the two of you. Excuse me."

Kotone bowed for the sake of courtesy as he left. Akane clenched a dainty hand around her skirt. "I'm so sorry, Kotone. You came all the way here, and…"

"It's all right, Miss Narita," Raidou replied. "It is you we came to see, after all, no matter the trouble."

"Oh…is something the matter?"

"We've been moving along our investigation, and we've come upon a lead," Kotone replied. "We hear there has been a man fraternizing with outsiders who seem to know Dahn; it's set off the local yakuza who manage the gambling parlor in Mannen-Cho, because he seems to have gotten almost frighteningly _lucky_ after meeting with them. The man's name is Goro Tatsumi—does his name sound familiar?"

Akane searched her mind for anything that came close to the name, but came up with nothing. "No…The name doesn't ring a bell. But the outsiders you say he's been associating with…" She stiffened. "Did I hear you right to say he got lucky after meeting them? It…It can't be…"

Kotone and Gouto glanced at each other quizzically. Akane caught it, and before Raidou could ask, said, "O-Oh, it's nothing. I didn't mean to alarm you…"

"Any information you might have would be a great help, Miss Narita," said Kotone. "If you know anything about these outsiders…I've seen them, actually. Masked men wielding katanas and red…cases strapped to their waists. To be honest, they attacked us in Mannen-Cho. Does such a description ring a bell?"

"Um…"

Gouto blinked. "I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing – that she breaks so easily."

Kotone gave him a shrug that said _let's use it to our advantage for now_. "Yes, Miss Narita?"

Akane sighed in defeat. "Anything I tell you about these masked men…I'd like you to keep it a secret from Father…"

"Of course, Miss Narita."

"About those masked men…well…um, never mind. As long as you're safe."

Gouto observed Akane's curl-twirling and inability to make eye contact. "There's something she doesn't want us to know about the relationship between Dahn and the masked men, isn't there? I wonder what this dame is really up to…"

Kotone shrugged. Akane didn't look like she meant to do anything to harm anyone else. Then again, the Raidou from the future had tricked her that way, too, when he possessed Kaya. Although maybe she should've gotten a clue when Kaya cut those silky strands of hers and had that crazed look in her eyes whenever she spoke. Raidou could only see shame in Akane's eyes, though…

"Miss Narita…what are you hiding?"

Akane closed her eyes as if she were ailing. Kotone almost pitied her, but she couldn't feel for the older woman if she wasn't sure that she was truly innocent. "I wish I could tell you more, but…I can't just yet. I'm sorry." There was an urgent look in her eyes, as if she needed Raidou – and even Gouto, since she glanced down at him for a moment – to believe her. "Really, I am! But I…!"

"It's all right, Miss Narita," said Kotone, backing away by an inch. "If you really can't tell us…"

"Thank you…Thank you for understanding," said Akane, so gratefully one would think Raidou had saved her life. "But please, Kotone. Find Dahn…I have nowhere else to turn but you."

Gouto snorted. "Well, when she puts it that way…"

"We will, Miss Narita," said Kotone, offering a small smile. "I'm sorry to intrude any more than I have, but may I please use your bathroom?"

"Oh, of course," said Akane, her tone much lighter. The heavy burden of being interrogated was finally lifted. "It's down that hall—right before the stairs."

"Thank you." Kotone bowed again and moved swiftly to the grand stairs, where she wouldn't be seen.

"What are you planning?" Gouto asked.

Kotone reached for a tube. "Akane needn't say a thing for us to know what's in her mind. Lilim–!"

"Ah—Miss Kuzunoha?" The butler was standing right behind her. Gouto whirled, erasing all traces of guilt from his feline face. Kotone did the same. "Mistress Akane has asked me to take care of anything you might need. Is there anything else?"

"No thank you," said Kotone, hiding the tube behind her back. "Is Miss Narita still there?"

"I'm afraid she's joined her father in the drawing room," said the butler. "In that light, I apologize for the trouble Master Tasuke has caused you. You see, guests asking after Mistress Akane are…" There was an expectant silence, and then he cleared his throat. "I really shouldn't say anything more on that subject. In any case, I see you are truly a friend to Mistress Akane."

Kotone gave no reply and nodded instead. "If Miss Narita is gone now…I should be leaving." There was no use staying if Lilim had no mind to read. The demon could always enter the drawing room on her own, but…never mind.

The butler nodded, ever obeisant. "Have a safe trip, Miss Kuzunoha."

The ride home to Tsukudo-Cho was much quieter. Although it was a short trip, Gouto fell asleep on Kotone's lap and woke only at the opening rumble of the train doors. There was no Dahn walking by the Ushigome-gaeri bridge this time, Kotone checked; only a child running around frantically with a bulky handkerchief in his hands. She avoided him as he darted past her.

"Kid looks familiar," said Gouto, yawning as he watched him go. "Didn't we see him in…somewhere…? Oh yes, Mannen-Cho…"

"He's the boy who hangs around one of Satake's men…Osamu, wasn't it? His son, if I remember correctly."

"I think so, or he'd have no other reason to hang around him," Gouto laughed. His protégée could put things so oddly sometimes.

The boy was sitting on the front porch steps of the Narumi Detective Agency when they arrived, his face covered by his hands and the busboy cap he wore. At the sight of Raidou's shadow looming over him, he jumped and grabbed her arm. "Miss! Hey! You!"

Raidou had little experience with children. All her mostly male cousins were older than her, and though they grew up together, they each had different mindsets now. She couldn't remember how she'd ever dealt with them before. And usually she left negotiating with demon children to Leanan Sidhe. Kotone grabbed his fingers and tried as gently as she could to pry them off her. "You are Osamu's son?"

"Yeah!" the boy nodded vigorously. "Kenta Kogure, from Mannen-Cho! I really need your help!"

"With what?"

"See, thing is… My dad…" the boy's face scrunched up. He was trying not to cry. "He disappeared from Mannen-Cho."

"He may just be on business with Satake," said Kotone, thoughtfully. "The man likes to speak with his people personally."

"If he was just meeting with Mr. Satake, he woulda told me!" The boy shook his head. "No, my dad's missing. You're a detective, right, lady? You gotta find my dad…please! I…" Kenta's nose was becoming red, his eyes misty. "I'll even give you my croquette! You can split it with your kitty cat, okay?"

Kenta took her hand again and closed her fingers in on the bulky handkerchief he carried before running off with a hitch-breathed goodbye. Inside the blue cloth was a slightly burnt orange croquette.

"It's just your garden variety croquette, but you can feel Kenta's love for his dad in it." Gouto licked his teeth. "Osamu…there was that caper where you disappeared from Mannen-Cho, too. Might wanna keep in mind that he's gone missing from the same place."

The two entered the agency when Kotone hid the croquette in her pocket. The boss would have whined about having a piece of it, after all, and Gouto had had a feeling that she should save it for later, no matter how hungry he and Raidou were. Narumi had only packed Kotone a sandwich before sending her off to Kasumidai. Speaking of which, the agency's founder was on the phone when they entered, leaning into his chair with his legs crossed under the table.

"Huh? Well, speak of the devil…" he muttered upon seeing his assistant and her cat, but quickly returned to his conversation. "Nothing, just talking to myself. I'll send Raidou to look into it. What? Because, uh…I'm busy. At the usual place, then? Okay, got it…" He paused for a few seconds before nodding. "Bye."

When he put the phone down, he gave the two a slight wave. "Welcome back, Raidou. Gouto. How'd it go? You get to talk to Akane?"

"We did. But we had an unfortunate run in with her father the councilman, first…" Kotone plopped down on the couch. "He wasn't too happy to see us. He even thought to call me weak…and told me to quit playing detective."

Narumi leaned his lips against his fist thoughtfully. "Interesting…so Narita flipped his lid when he learned you were in touch with Akane, who, for her part, was hiding the fact that you were attacked by masked men from Narita…" He frowned. "Something smells. This is getting a bit shady for a simple manhunt."

"Gouto and I agree, boss. Just now, before we entered the office…the son of one of Satake's men approached me. He says his father has disappeared from Mannen-Cho without so much as a warning. Gouto suspects there is a connection between the masked men and my own disappearance from Mannen-Cho earlier." Although Kotone had a distinct feeling Osamu wouldn't encounter a masked version of himself.

"Hmm… Are you thinking of looking into it?"

"Yes. Kenta…" Kotone thought of the tempting croquette in her pocket. "His son seemed very broken up about it. And it seems an odd enough case, don't you think, boss?"

Narumi nodded. "All right. Before you do, though, Tae called. Apparently, she's doing some research of her own in Mannen-Cho. She's already wise to Tatsumi."

"She may have something on Kenta's father," said Gouto.

"Given what you've told me," Narumi continued, "I'll look into Akane some more…which leaves the other half of our case to you. Tae's got the scoop on Tatsumi—I told her you'd go hear her out."

Gouto let out a 'hmmmmm'. "I don't know why he'd send us. I was sure he'd have wanted to go himself…"

Narumi glanced down at the cat. "What?"

Confused by her mentor's words, Kotone failed to twist them around as well as she might have. "He doesn't know why you leave the traveling to us without any pocket money."

Narumi snorted. "Don't give me that! A little Jack Frost just happened to tell me about that secret stash you keep with Lilim…"

Kotone shrugged. It was worth a try. "Fine. We will visit Miss Asakura."

Narumi grinned, relieved that the teenage devil summoner he'd saved the world once with still couldn't get one up over him. He _still_ had it. "You know her usual haunt, right? The Shin Sekai soda joint in Ginza-Cho? Tae'll be waiting for you there in her spot."

Gouto pursed his cat lips. "Her spot? He visits her often, then?"

Kotone quirked an eyebrow at the cat. "Why is that relevant?"

Gouto chuckled, patting her foot with a shake of his head. "You're really still a child…"

* * *

The storefront was hidden along a street away from the main road. It was dark, almost like an alley, tall buildings rented out by shops covering the sunlight. The soda joint itself had such a cool ambiance that Kotone had the urge to sleep as soon as she entered. Only the smell of cigarettes combating the sweet scent of wine woke her.

"I missed this place, too," said the devil summoner, a dreamy look on her face.

"I expected you would," Gouto grinned. "Breaking a wine bottle over that lecherous android's head must have felt really good."

"It did," said Kotone, reminiscing gladly as she approached the main bar. "One of my best memories of the Capital, that."

The owner of Shin Sekai also worked as its bartender. He made tangy fruit shakes for Raidou and Gouto, since the former was too young and they agreed that it would be best for the latter not to drink. He'd recognized the devil summoner's silhouette through his blue tinted glasses by the glass doors. Only one child wore such a hat around the Capital.

"Miss Kuzunoha," he said when she reached his countertop, "How nice to see you in the Capital again. On another mission?" He smiled at Kotone's affirmation. "We've received several new requests pertaining specifically to devil summoners. Shall I forward the case files to the Narumi Detective Agency?"

"Please do. By the way… Has my boss been here of late?"

The owner fixed his red suit and his black bowtie with a pleased upturn of the lips. "Why, yes. He sits with Miss Asakura, more often than not."

"Hmm…You were right, Gouto." Kotone set Gouto on the stool before her and pat his head gently. Something in his eyes reflected the bartender's, like they knew something she didn't. "Why do you smile that way?"

Gouto shook his head, and the owner cleared his throat. "If there is nothing else…Miss Asakura is on the far end of the bar. She phoned Mr. Narumi earlier, and said she was expecting you."

Kotone thanked him and approached Tae, who was flipping past the pages of a crumpled notebook. "Hi, Kotone. I got the skinny from Narumi," she said before Raidou could tap her shoulder. Sometimes Kotone wondered if Tae had Lilim's psychic powers. Or it could have been woman's intuition, as the older lady would so vehemently insist. "So you had some questions, huh? I'll answer whatever I can. But wait—age before beauty. I get the first questions. What happened earlier today, when you disappeared in Mannen-Cho?"

It wouldn't hurt to tell Tae, Kotone supposed. She and Narumi were becoming quite a pair of close friends, after all, so her boss probably trusted the reporter. "We were following him for a client and found him in Mannen-Cho. Just as we cornered him, two masked men came to his rescue and confronted us. Tatsumi got away, and…the confrontation didn't end very well."

Tae's eyes popped out of her hat. "What? That's the first I've heard of these masked men!" She pumped a fist triumphantly. "What a lucky break! Thanks to you, I've got a juicy scoop!"

"You…didn't hear it from me, of course." Her boss liked a little obscurity, so he could have time for his coffee without having to answer the phone all the time. Then again, there was a time when he had her answering phone calls…

"Of course," said Tae, too happy about her discovery to protest. "Well, I guess it's my turn to blab now. Here's what I've learned about Tatsumi: ever since he started his hot streak at the gambling parlor, people have started hanging around him. Some are run-of-the-mill gamblers trying to piggyback off Tatsumi's luck to make a quick buck…and some are Kantou Haguro-gumi thugs, secretly angry with the guy for winning so much money." Tae sat up, a thought finding its place at the front of her mind. "By the way, I heard about you and that yakuza boss…"

Gouto groaned. Kotone shook her head. "That was nothing. I promise. Please continue."

"Okay…" Tae shrugged. She couldn't make a scoop out of it, anyway; that mob boss would kill her. "Well, it didn't matter who they were. They've all disappeared, and it all links back to Tatsumi… The locals are saying they were spirited away. I was assigned to cover the story."

Gouto would have stroked his whiskers if he knew it wouldn't disturb Tae. "Multiple disappearances leading back to Tatsumi…Hmm…"

"So…" Tae quirked an eyebrow at Gouto turning his back on her and fiddling with something on his chest. She figured he was licking himself, and that it was a personal task only Kotone was allowed to watch. He was really just writing on his notebook. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Could you elaborate about this…spirited away business, Miss Asakura?"

Tae brightened up and nodded proudly. "You've got a reporter's ear, Kotone! I just mentioned that in passing… Well, I guess I can share. It might have something to do with the masked men. It's just a rumor, but the Mannen-Cho police might make this 'spiriting away' for kidnappings. They say Tatsumi's been involved in smuggling, and he was fencing the stuff in Mannen-Cho. That's what I sweet-talked out of the officers."

"Sweet-talked?" Kotone pursed her lips. "Using your feminine charm? I thought it was against your principles?"

Tae seemed to think about it for a moment before waving Kotone's question away dismissively. "I got my answers, didn't I?" Lilim had thought so, too. "Now here's my take on it: whoever's backing Tatsumi's smuggling operation is removing anyone who gets too close to him. Catch my drift? The organization behind his scheme is…"

"The masked men," Kotone finished. "They told me to stay away from him."

"But what could Tatsumi be smuggling?" Gouto pondered, having finished his writing.

Tae nodded at Raidou. "Exactly. It's nice having these back-and-forths with you, Kotone. It's not often I can do it with another girl."

"Always a pleasure," said Kotone, who muttered to Gouto, "Osamu?"

"He must have been spirited away, too," said the cat.

"Did you say something?" asked Tae.

"Uh—no." Kotone stared at the tip of Tae's bonnet. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Miss Asakura?"

"Oh! Yeah. Apparently, our Tatsumi's gone missing, too."

"Good riddance," Gouto grumbled.

"Funny how it happened right as the bulls were looking to question him," Tae continued. "Convenient, huh? Either Tatsumi's very lucky, or the police aren't. I haven't heard of anyone spotting Tatsumi leaving Mannen-Cho, either."

"I see…" Gouto jumped off the stool beside Tae, a signal that they should leave. Kotone bowed to her. "Thank you for your time, Miss Asakura."

"Sure thing, Kotone," Tae smiled, flipping her notebook open again. "Oh, say hi to Narumi, okay?"

Kotone blinked. "But you were on the phone with him not more than an hour ago."

"I know. Just say hi."

An odd request, but she wouldn't mind fulfilling it. Bidding Tae farewell for the day, Kotone and Gouto exited the soda joint.

"You know, Gouto, Miss Asakura can make the most peculiar req…" Raidou stopped. There was a presence behind her, familiar but much stronger, pulsing with energy and power. She turned around.

It was the foreigner, the blond young man with the nice nose and the bright eyes. Raidou hadn't sensed this much energy from him in the Tamonten Shrine. He smiled at her, that bag of his still in his left hand. "We meet again."

Kotone nodded. "Hello, um…"

_Lus…i…uis…f…_

A thought that was not hers echoed in her mind. A name that was not familiar came out of her mouth. "Louis?"

The foreigner pretended to think about it. "That will do."

Kotone shook her head, regaining her own thoughts and her own speech. "Louis."

"Yes. I wasn't expecting to meet you here, Kotone. Perhaps this is a 'spark' as well."

Raidou instinctively reached for her sword. "How do you know my name?"

"But it's fortunate that I did," Louis continued his pattern of off tangency, his voice suddenly soothing. Kotone relaxed and let her hands fall back beside her waist. "There was something I wished to discuss with you."

"Your leading me to Satake, you mean?"

"No…" Louis looked down at her with semi-closed eyes. It would have looked pompous from another, but it seemed only natural to him. That and he'd actually answered one of her questions. "A man boasting of his good fortune has been targeted by a Fiend."

"Tatsumi," said Kotone and Gouto in unison.

They were right, but the foreigner didn't acknowledge it. "It is the one you know as Binbou-gami, the Fiend of disaster. This boastful man is in Mannen-Cho, unseen by the human eye. This is because he is in the Dark Realm…"

"You know of the Dark Realm." Kotone didn't bother phrasing it as a question anymore. It was only an expression of some surprise.

Louis nodded, however. "He doesn't know that his voluntary entrance to the Dark Realm will 'spark' the end of his luck." Kotone rolled her shoulders back. "You are pleased by this." Raidou dropped her smirk. The foreigner chuckled. "Hmm. If this man in Dark Mannen-Cho means anything to you…then let my words be a spark for your actions."

With that, he disappeared into Shin Sekai.

"Funny guy. Between him and Akane, we've sure been meeting our share of strange customers." Gouto scribbled something on his notebook. "And how is he connected to the Dark Realm? He didn't seem so powerful before…"

"I can't say…" Kotone wondered what such an enigma could want in a soda joint. "In any case, Goro Tatsumi awaits us in Dark Mannen-Cho. I wonder how he even ended up there."

"So do I. Are we going to Shinoda?"

The sun was nearly setting. Her stomach was rumbling. A decision was made. "No. Let's hope he can survive a night in the Dark Realm. In any case…he won't be able to tell the difference."

Gouto imitated her pace towards the train station. "Not something I would have done in my prime, but now…" He chuckled. "I agree."

* * *

"We're home," announced Kotone, hanging her key on the rack after locking the office door. Rubbing her aching forehead (she'd _somehow_ walked into the door while opening it), she knew this was going to become a routine – she and Gouto buying dinner, Narumi lounging around somewhere in the agency. Or maybe not lounging around, as tonight he was trying to fit a whole bunch of folders into a tiny shelf beside his desk. "Boss…?"

Narumi glanced up with an impatient expression. It softened when he saw his assistant and the cat, but intensified again soon after. "Raidou, Gouto. Care to explain all these case files?"

The Shin Sekai's owner worked fast. Gouto said this, and Kotone translated: "Working on these case files will earn us more dinner. Shouldn't we be glad?"

"Dinner?" Narumi dropped the folders on his desk and suddenly went off to the kitchen. Seconds later, the table was set. "Dinner sounds great."

Gouto grinned and hopped on the table. "Bring on the food, Kotone!" Raidou obeyed, and they set to eating as soon as she put the takeout down.

"Boss, I met a boy today," Kotone said when she was almost done. Narumi felt like it was the introduction to a confession, from a teenage daughter to her father. That was, before he remembered that this was Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. She knew every weakness of every demon order, but she probably still thought kisses were thimbles and thimbles were kisses. "Actually, I'd already met him yesterday, in the Tamonten Shrine. He seemed harmless…but he told me that Tatsumi is in the Dark Realm, being targeted by the Fiend that attacked us this noon."

"Huh." Narumi swallowed his food, looking at the ceiling as if that would give him answers. "I got nothing on Akane yet. You think you can trust this kid?"

Kotone shrugged. "It is our only lead. And Miss Asakura said that Tatsumi had disappeared without a trace. That no one saw him leave Mannen-Cho."

"Mmhmm. You'll be traipsing around the Dark Realm tomorrow, then.'

"Yes. By the way, boss," said Kotone, gulping her water down voraciously, "Miss Asakura said hi."

Narumi stopped slicing his food. "She did?"

"Yes."

Narumi's eyebrows furrowed. He bowed his head to the point that Kotone could only see his hair. "Well…"

"Is something wrong, boss?" Why was it so relevant?

"Uh—no." Still only hair. "Could you get me more water, Raidou?"

"But your glass is still—"

"Water, please."

Kotone shrugged and took his glass before entering the kitchen. She stayed there for all of ten seconds, pretending to fill an already full glass, before returning to the coffee table and returning Narumi's glass. "Here you go, boss."

Narumi had already recovered, and smiled as he took a sip of his water. It still looked full. "Thanks, Raidou."

Gouto was laughing.

Narumi frowned. He definitely recognized that kind of meowing, and the wide, almost creepy smile on the cat's face. "You think that's funny, huh, Gouto?"

Kotone glanced at her mentor. "I don't understand…"

"You…haha…you don't have to!" said Gouto, now clutching his stomach and lying on his side on the table.

Kotone pushed herself away from the table. "Boss, were you…possessed? Did the soul transfer to Gouto?"

Narumi turned only a little pink. "What do you mean was I possessed?"

"Oh…possessed…hahahaha!" Gouto continued to howl in laughter. "Who would have thought? Narumi…haha… madly…ha…can't even own up to…"

"He's not possessed," Narumi said, his lips forming a line. He had a very good idea of what the cat was saying to Kotone even without her translations. "It's only a case of extreme immaturity."

Kotone stood, shaking her head. "Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be all that funny."

Narumi's eyes widened. "What is he telling you?"

"Nothing that makes sense," replied the devil summoner, approaching the door across the kitchen. "I'll be in my room if you need me, boss. Please bring Gouto up when he's done…some milk should do him in. Good night."

"Good nigh…hey, why am I left to take care of him? H-hey…"

Kotone was already gone. Narumi wasn't laughing.

* * *

Orange melted away with violet in the sky and in the air all around. It was always dusk in the Dark Realm—or maybe it was dawn, but neither Gouto nor Kotone had ever been the technical type. There was a constant breeze of colors, a spectrum compared to the grays of the world, evidence of the thinning barrier to the Netherworld.

Goro Tatsumi was by the river when Raidou popped into Dark Mannen-Cho. He saw her as soon as she arrived.

"Y-You…!" He stood back. "You're that student. What're you doing here…?"

"That buttery voice…!" Gouto hissed. "That sickly sweet tone…just thinking of it makes my fur stand up—Goro Tatsumi!"

"Indeed," said Kotone, drawing her sword. "Tatsumi, you will return with us to the Capital."

Goro Tatsumi laughed and shook his head. "Today's just not your day… Y'see, eventually, this whole place will be—nah, it already _is_ my kingdom. And a king is free to walk freely throughout his kingdom without being pestered, kid!"

"Free to walk freely?" Gouto scoffed. "This guy _is_ low class."

Kotone lowered her sword. "No one can rule over the Dark Realm. It is only an in between world, a barrier within a barrier. Decades from now, it will be lost to hordes of demons. You are delusional."

"Wh-What?" Tatsumi waved his hands as if batting her words away. "I'll show you delusional!"

A horde of Frost order Preta flanked Tatsumi on every side, their stomachs hanging low and their eyes white with a different gleam.

"Ah, see?" Tatsumi cackled. "Whenever I need 'em, they always come to my side! Anyone who tries to stand against me in _my_ kingdom gets fed to the Pretas! I mean, the Preta Forms!"

"Is Tatsumi saying he brought these 'Preta Forms' together with his luck?" asked Gouto.

"I don't know," replied Kotone, "but there is something odd about the glow of their eyes. And they are quiet; still. Most Pretas fill the air with incessant laughter."

"You're right. Do you think…"

"This's what you get for following me around, kid!" Tatsumi shouted, before turning around and disappearing behind the houses. "Preta Forms! Get 'er!"

"Tatsumi's getting away," Gouto pointed out.

"I will make short work of them, don't worry," said Kotone, and intended to keep her promise. She pulled out her gun and stunned each Preta before immobilizing them with a slash at their legs. Their magnetite followed her and Gouto as they gave Tatsumi chase.

"There is a Fiend hunting you," Kotone called out. "Return to the human world or face its full wrath here!"

"No way! I can take on anything in my kingdom!" Tatsumi took a sharp turn that sent Gouto sliding on his paws. "First the Kanto Haguro-gumi, and now you! Mannen-Cho's overcrowded with peasants! Go home before I lose my patience with you!"

Gouto snarled as he caught up with Kotone again. "Using banana peels was one thing, but calling out demons? This guy's lucky streak isn't funny anymore. After him! We have to ask him about Dahn, and we can't leave demonic powers in the hands of one lucky schmuck!"

Tatsumi stopped to catch his breath at the clearing with the well. Leaning against his knees, he grinned at Kotone. "H…Hah! So stubborn," he breathed, "I'll admit, I'm honored you're so obsessed with me…but it's useless, kid." Half a dozen more Preta Forms circled him. "I've got the Preta Forms on my side!"

"How does a gambler like you gain such awesome powers?" asked Kotone, feigning wonder. Under her cape, Raidou began to reload her revolver. "Is it really just your luck?"

"Since you're such a fan, I'll tell you," said Tatsumi, true to Louis's description of his arrogance. "I've drained the people of Mannen Cho's luck, and now they serve me as my Preta Forms! All the ones getting 'spirited away'…that's the measure of my power!"

"So Osamu and the rest of the gamblers and the Kanto Haguro-gumi who've disappeared are the Preta Forms!" Gouto realized, but had already suspected it. "The only way to release them is to defeat Tatsumi."

"But that would mean killing him," Kotone muttered. "Or asking him to lift his spell nicely."

"What are you mumbling to yourself?" Tatsumi frowned. "I'm still talking here! You see, anyone who irritates me… the regulars at the gambling parlor, the Kanto Haguro-gumi…all of them! I drained their luck and sent them to the Dark Realm! Now the Preta Forms are my obedient minions, and I'm their king!"

"Strange twist of fate that it all turned out to be Tatsumi," Gouto said. "We have to make him listen to reason, though I doubt a mooncalf like him would understand…"

"And now," Tatsumi continued, calming down a little before running off again. "it's time to say farewell, for good. Get her, Preta Forms!"

"Immobilize them like you did earlier," Gouto said to Kotone. "Remember, you can't kill them. They're humans!"

"I did considerable damage to the Preta Forms by the river; do you think they'll sustain those wounds in human form if we're able to release them from their demon forms?" asked Kotone, watching the Preta forms preparing to rush at her.

"We'll have to find a way to rescue them before we worry about that," Gouto replied. "For now, just do as you did and keep them alive."

Kotone raised her gun and shot each Preta Form that neared her. There was only one left, and he was holding his arms over his head cowardly. "Wait, wait!" he cried, holding his arms out defensively.

Gouto quirked an eyebrow.

The Preta glanced up when he could no longer hear gunshots. "Do you…have food on you? You smell gooooooooood. I eat, and I eat, and still I hunger," he explained, his yellow earrings jingling. "Do you have any food? Food for me…? Maybe you don't care if a stranger like me starves! You don't care if I go hungry, do you?" he gasped.

The Preta kind were always so bold. It was fun to pick demons' minds sometimes, understand why they were. But this wasn't the time, and this wasn't even really a demon. Maybe giving him what he wanted would make him disappear faster, without killing him. Kotone reached into her pocket and tossed the handkerchief to the Preta. "For your silence, a croquette."

"Oh…!" the Preta stared at the croquette before holding it to his cheek. "Is this a croquette? I love these! How lucky! I…I remember sharing these…with my son…" he stared up at Raidou with a furrow of his brow ridges completely unknown to a Preta. "Huh? My son…? Did I just say something about my son?"

Gouto and Kotone exchanged glances. "Osamu?"

* * *

I know it's totally out of character for Narumi to come along on investigations, but I thought it would be more interesting with the boss around. It was fun thinking of his reaction to a Nezha, too. (What? Nezhas are so badass! XD)

Next chapter quote sneak peek time!

_"You! Foooooouuuuuund yooouuu!"_

Thanks for reading! Now REVIEWWWWWWWW


	4. Road Trip

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

SORRY I TOOK FOREVERRRR. And by forever, I mean FOREVER. Thanks for the reviews though :D

**NekoGuyFan**: I'd read your Narumi fic if you made one! Now that you've said so, I realized he is pretty cool, haha! Kind of how you've started to think Dahn is dreamy thanks to this :)) There you go, the power of suggestion!

**CallMeJack**: Yeah, I wanted Narumi's input on things, plus it's boring just having the boss take the back seat when everything's happening. And there's that thing about talking to the talking cat all the time, too, heh. Never mind that it's fun just getting Raidou to give Narumi mangled translations of everything Gouto says. Victor will appear two chapters from now, yep! The doctor is too fun not to include in this story. XD

**Fervour**: Yeah, Satake's really old! Comparably, anyway :)) I figured he was a young yakuza boss compared to other mob bosses I imagined (my mob bosses I meant Vito Corleone as portrayed by Marlon Brando, hahaha!). Pretty weird, but considering Akane's betrothal to a bunch of bug men, I thought age wouldn't be as much to overcome (except for Kotone's father, of course, and Gouto XD). Yesss I love Jack Frost! Oddly enough I used to find him a little irritating, and I didn't understand the hype, but it's impossible not to love that little...thing. :))

Thanks again for reviewing! YOU GUYS ROCK. Alsooo. This doesn't make up for my extremely long absence, but I have two chapters up and more to come soon!

Previously...

_Kotone reached into her pocket and tossed the handkerchief to the Preta. "For your silence, a croquette."_

_"Oh…!" the Preta stared at the croquette before holding it to his cheek. "Is this a croquette? I love these! How lucky! I…I remember sharing these…with my son…" he stared up at Raidou with a furrow of his brow ridges completely unknown to a Preta. "Huh? My son…? Did I just say something about my son?"_

_Gouto and Kotone exchanged glances. "Osamu?"_

* * *

_Chapter 4: Road Trip_

"Osamu…?" the Preta repeated. "No, my son… He's probably hungry right now. I should check on him…Kenta…!"

With a flash of light, the Preta disappeared. In his place was a man in the Kantou Haguro-gumi getup, his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail—Osamu Kogure. He blinked, the world around him different but familiar, and would have collapsed had Raidou failed to catch him. "Urrrrgh," he groaned. His temples felt as though they were about to split. "What happened? My head's pounding…Ugh, Raidou? What are you doing here?"

"You're safe now, Mr. Kogure," said Kotone, grunting as she supported him. He was much heavier than she expected. "Kenta asked us to search for you. In our hunt for Tatsumi, we found you, too."

"I see…" Osamu clutched his head again. "So Kenta found you, Raidou… Hey, you were looking for that Dahn guy, right? And you have to find Tatsumi to do it?"

"Yes. Satake informed you?"

"Uh…yeah." Osamu's eyes were filled with shame. "To be honest, I met with Tatsumi…That bastard. He knew I needed money to send Kenta to school, and he exploited it. He said he had a way for me to make a fast buck…And…Raidou, I'm ashamed to say it, but…" He grimaced. "I wavered. I betrayed Mr. Satake!"

Kotone made no distinct reaction. Her father had taught her that giving anything of the sort, especially to anyone who looked particularly emotional at the moment, could only result in something worse. He'd gone on to add that such a rule didn't work for women, especially not her mother, but when Kotone had asked him to elaborate, he only patted her head and said his daughter would become an exception to that norm.

"You could have asked Satake to help you," she said, ignoring Gouto's constant pawing at her pant leg. "He would have been able to think of something."

"I…I know." Osamu's eyes were downcast. "I shoulda known it earlier, but I—"

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay and chat." Kotone pulled out two tubes. Two green flashes later, a fuchsia horse and a blue bull holding a lance and an axe, respectively, appeared at Raidou's side.

The horse stood from his kneeling position and bowed to Kotone with a fist to his chest. "I am honored to serve you. Welcome back, Miss Kotone."

"Duuude! Gozuki and Mezuki, to the rescue!" said the latter – Gozuki – pumping his free fist with a cheer and thumping Kotone on the back. "Who're we beating up today?"

Mezuki rolled his eyes and neighed disdainfully. "You are _such_ a barbarian."

Gozuki raised an axe threateningly. "Who asked _you_?"

Osamu glanced between the two fearfully. "Wh-What…oh…" He shook his head, still too stunned to think clearly. "I've seen stranger things…"

"They make a good team when they're not bickering," Gouto remarked, watching the horse and the bull start to shove each other. "Anyway, Kotone, clock's ticking…"

"Right." Kotone returned Gozuki into his tube again before the coming argument broke out into a brawl, realizing she needed her own demon to persuade Tatsumi into returning with them, anyway. "Mezuki, protect Mr. Kogure here. I'll return for you soon."

"As you wish," said Mezuki, nodding respectfully, and smiled awkwardly at a confused Osamu before allowing his summoner to run off.

Raidou and Gouto were coming into the area where the cross-dressing man had lived. Gouto cringed when they passed by the dark room but distracted himself by keeping his eyes on Tatsumi. "There he is, Kotone!"

Tatsumi was resting against one of the houses, clutching his chest in fatigue. When he saw that Raidou and Gouto were gaining, he ran off again, but he didn't get as much of a head start as before. Kotone sped up. He wouldn't escape this time—

"You! Foooooouuuuuund yooouuu!"

—but he did, thanks to the distraction posed by a woman in a french maid outfit. There was a frenzied expression on her face as she tackled Kotone to the ground, her eyes wide and her jaws crunched together tightly. Raidou pushed her off immediately, unsheathing her sword to the maid's neck, but she recognized the woman and withdrew it. Hastily, she said, "You are Dr. Victor's Ippon-datara. What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, you're interrupting an official investigation!" Gouto said irritably, his paws burning as he skidded to a halt.

"Not my fault!" the maid cried out, covering her face, and then cleared her throat and straightened up. "I come message. From Victor. A message."

"Can't this wait?" Gouto groaned. "Spit it out already."

"Miss Kuzunoha!" said the maid, using Victor's voice and cackling, "Rejoice, for I have marvelous news for you! I recently have discovered a—" She stopped at the urgent flare in Gouto's eyes, and smoothed the creases of her dress down. "There's no need. Doing this in Victor's voice. Will stop now. My apologies. Victor is fusing. Sword fusion. It's a process. Very new. Very big deal, I guess. Makes swords stronger. Much stronger. Much much stronger. Very strong—"

"I understand," said Kotone, holding two fingers over the maid's lips. "Tell Dr. Victor we'll drop by later. Thank you."

The maid followed them as they traced Tatsumi's steps, however, keeping up with their pace with relative ease. "By the way," she said, "like…outfit? In a dress. Do like?"

Kotone glanced to her right, refraining from imitating Gouto's exasperated expression. She had never been an expert on clothing. Comfort for her every day missions was what mattered to her, like her cousin's uniform, and she was only forced to wear her own uncomfortable skirts for school. House clothes were nice, but in the village she was usually in training trousers. "It's—"

"Or just weird? Weird, right? Very weird…weird…" the maid repeated to herself. All of a sudden, the maid began to twitch, her body contorting oddly. Raidou and Gouto had already seen this before and continued to run, looking back only when there were no more footsteps trailing them, only _tak_-_tak_-_tak_… The maid had returned to her true form. "BuT I'm nOt wEIrD!" it cried out in a voice flickering from its human voice to its low demon pitch. "NO mORe! LeT mE Go! WOn'T yOU sEt Me FreEeeeee?"

"This again?" Gouto led them now, and Raidou recognized the way to a deserted shrine at the heart of Mannen-Cho. This wasn't good. Such an emotional Ippon-datara could only get in the way. "I had a feeling this was going to happen…why it had to happen _now_ is just our luck…"

"N-n-N-N-nOoooO!" the Ippon-Datara sobbed. "ThiS Is NOt MeEEEEeeeE! THis fLImsY, lAcEy…NooOOoO! nOT fOr MeeEEEEEEee!"

"At least it isn't about walls anymore," Kotone said optimistically, allowing the Ippon-datara to continue its wails. After the deserted shrine, there was nowhere else to go. Tatsumi was cornering himself again, and she could only hope there were no more banana peels.

"I DON't waNT tO WeAR iT AnYMOre! I WAnt tO BurY tHIs lACey ThING iN a waLL! ForEVEr!"

"Again with the walls…" Gouto stopped at the deserted shrine as predicted. Tatsumi was standing by the donation box, clinging to the post as if it would protect him.

Upon halting, the Ippon-datara suddenly reverted back to human form. It was still wearing that dress. "I mean…" she cleared her throat. "I need return. Return to home now. Thank you very much. Thank you for letting my vent."

"Always a pleasure," said Kotone, waving absentmindedly, and approached Tatsumi. Gouto told the Ippon-datara to get a new disguise if it hated the accursed maid outfit so much before dismissing it and followed.

When Raidou came close, Tatsumi released the post and grinned. "You came, huh? Ha! What a naughty little girl…You know," he said, lifting both eyebrows, "I wasn't lying when I said it's nice to have some kid so curious about me…If it wasn't for that bumpkin or those insects, we coulda gotten close…"

Gouto nearly choked. "Is he saying what I think he's saying?"

"He's delusional," Kotone repeated.

"Stop mumbling while I'm talking!" Tatsumi scolded, having had enough of her weird attitude. "But since you're just a little girl…okay, I give myself up."

Raidou took a step closer. "You're kidd–"

Kotone slipped on a banana peel.

Tatsumi howled with laughter. "There's no _way_ I can be unlucky, remember? All the luck on the world's on my side! Just try and catch me!"

Raidou and Gouto froze. Another monster appeared behind Tatsumi, swishing and giggling with his feet in the clouds, hail falling from his hair. He was skinnier than before.

"Here comes my backup," said Tatsumi, crossing his arms smugly. If there hadn't been a Fiend ready to attack behind him, Kotone and Gouto might have poked fun at his pose. "I do feel bad for you, but…oh well."

The Fiend cleared his throat, tired of watching the exchange and deciding to join in himself. "I'm Biiiiiiiiinbou… Binbou-gami!"

Tatsumi turned around and almost fell back on Kotone. "Wh-What? You're not one of my minions…!"

Binbou-gami ignored him and swung to the right, tittering eagerly at Raidou instead. "I found a particular unlucky fellow…who'd have thought it'd turn out to be you again? You still owe me a good warming up!"

"Who-who are you?" Tatsumi gasped, shielding his face as though it would help.

"Oh? Who's this?" Binbou-gami finally took notice of the other human and giggled. "Hohoho! I think I've found a better candidate to warm me up! Heeheeee…please, do warm me up a bit!"

"Whaaaat?" He ran behind Raidou and peeped out from behind her shoulders. "B-But I'm Tatsumi…? I…um…M-M-Mommy!"

"Warm me up, Sir!" Binbou-gami cried needily, hugging himself as hail flew from his swishing hair. "I am soooooo cold!"

Kotone pried Tatsumi's fingers off her and stepped aside. "He _is_ asking you nicely…"

"I'd agree to this if we didn't need more answers from him," said Gouto. "You'll have to protect him, I'm afraid."

Binbou-gami swung forward. Kotone would have (reluctantly) shielded him with a revolver to the Fiend's face, but Tatsumi was still a lucky bastard. As soon as Binbou-gami came within two feet of Tatsumi's person, he slipped and fell off his cloud. Gouto looked up at the sky. Surprisingly, it _wasn't_ raining banana peels.

"Huh?" Binbou-gami thrashed about angrily. "Gyaaaaaahh! You…! You're brimming with luck? How terribly unlucky!"

Tatsumi touched all his important body parts and then his face. "I-I'm safe? I'm alive! I _am_ lucky!"

Gouto turned to Kotone. "The Fiend is weakened from trying to possess Tatsumi… His good luck cancels out all the bad around us. We might actually be able to harm Binbou-gami in this state. Go for it, but remember not to take him lightly!"

Kotone nodded obediently and stood in Binbou-gami's way. "I think I will warm you up now, Binbou-gami."

"Oh? How lucky of me!" Binbou-gami clapped his hands. "Come on, I'm soooo coooooooold!"

Kotone ran at him again, sword outstretched, but caught herself as Binbou-gami disappeared. She rolled to the side before the Fiend could swing at her from behind. Those were Binbou-gami's first patterns. Eyes focused on him, she waited for his next move.

"You're not even tryiiiing!" Binbou-gami wailed.

"Pyro Jack," said Raidou, taking out his tube, "let's try again. Into my arms."

"Ho no, it's this hee-Fiend again!" Pyro Jack cowered under her arm. Kotone would have scolded him—he'd faced more fearful opponents in the past—but he _had_ saved her from Jiromaru when she was stone cold with disgust. She took him from under her and held his head with both hands. "Ko-ho-ne, what are you hee-doing? If I breathe-ho fire, you'll get burned!"

"Kotone, watch out!"

Gouto's warning came too late. Binbou-gami appeared beside Kotone and swung forward, sending her flying against the roof of the abandoned shrine. She shielded Pyro Jack from the impact with her arms. Raidou's feet stung and her back ached when she slid off the roof, then landed and stumbled down the stairs, but she caught herself before she slipped on any more banana peels.

"Hey!" Tatsumi cried, nearly tripping as he backed into a corner, "You almost crushed me!"

"When I give you the signal, perform Agidyne," Kotone whispered to Pyro Jack, pretending not to hear the other human beside her. She wished she _had_ crushed him.

"I've heard humans enjoy teasing the ones they like," said Binbou-gami, swaying again, and gasped. "Could it be that you're treating me so coldly because…?" Binbou-gami tittered and disappeared once more, only to appear behind her.

Kotone jumped to the side, rolling, and pointed Pyro Jack in the Fiend's direction as soon as he began to pendulate. "Now, Pyro Jack!"

Pyro Jack's head glowed as he inhaled, warming up. Kotone released his body with a hiss, her palms a little seared, but Pyro Jack didn't miss an inch. He blew a torrent of fire into Binbou-gami's face.

"Ooooooh!" Binbou-gami cried out, holding his face as though his cheeks were only blushing and not on fire. He seemed to like it, but it did slow him down a little. "So hot!"

Knowing it was her only chance, Kotone grabbed Binbou-gami's hair – cringing, because it was oilier than it looked – and swiped her sword at his neck.

"Owww!" Binbou-gami screamed and thrust himself forward. Raidou flew backward again, this time landing on her posterior (that was going to ache the next morning, but she tried not to think about it). He'd swung too early; she wasn't able to strike a deep, lasting wound, and unfortunately, his head was still connected to the rest of his grimy body. It seemed to have done enough damage, however, as purple blood seeped out of his neck. The Fiend's already pallid visage grew even whiter as he clutched his wound. "I felt a little warmer when you hit me…! It's so delightful being punished with your love…! Hohoho… I shall never forget the delicate taste of your love-punishment! I shall neeeeeeeever forget! Please, promise me you will share some of your love-punishment with me again, in the future!"

"I promise," said Kotone, receiving an encouraging nod from Gouto as she summoned Pyro Jack into his tube. "But only if you leave now. Otherwise, my...my love-punishment won't be as special."

"It's a deaaaal!" the Fiend giggled, wiggling his fingers. "Fareweeeeeell…until we meeeeeeet again!"

And Binbou-gami disappeared, leaving only a flurry of hail and magnetite in his wake.

Kotone breathed heavily, closing her eyes for a second. It was heart-pounding, facing a Fiend, and such a sadomasochistic one at that. Her adrenaline rush was fading, leaving her with only shot nerves and a painful tail bone. When she opened her eyes again, there was sunlight on her pale hands. No more dusk or dawn or gray houses. Only a frazzled Tatsumi, who congratulated himself for escaping such an awful situation on his own.

"We've returned to Mannen-Cho," Gouto confirmed, seeing her relief. "To be wily enough to get rid of a Fiend that way, Kotone…I'm proud to have someone like you as my successor."

Kotone beamed, wearing a tiny smile. She still liked to hear him say it; there were days when his scathing words on their first meeting still rang in her mind. "Thank you, Gouto."

"All that's left is Tatsumi. Let's ask him about Dahn."

Kotone nodded and approached Tatsumi. Before she could speak, however, he held a hand to her face and shrugged her off. "Get lost. There's nothing you can do to me. I'm gonna be safe 'cause I'm the lucky Tatsumi."

"I'm not out to kill you," Kotone said to him. (She was lying, of course, though she couldn't admit it even to Gouto. It wasn't a thought that should come across a Raidou's mind.) She showed him Dahn's picture, ever in perfect condition in her cape. "I only wanted to ask about him again."

"I told you before, remember?" Tatsumi sighed. "I don't know that bumpkin!"

"Then what about the insects?"

Tatsumi inched away. He narrowed his eyes. "You know about the insect, right… You're…you're no regular student, are you?"

Kotone glanced down at her uniform. It wasn't even hers.

"Are you…Are you the one they talk about? Wh-Who are you?" he demanded.

Perhaps honesty would beget honesty. "I'm a Devil Summoner," she replied, "by the name of—"

Tatsumi gasped so dramatically it was almost ridiculous. But then, his entire existence was ridiculous. "Wh-What? You're…Are you…Raidou Kuzunoha?" He started talking to himself. "If Raidou's after me, I'm finished. Damn my luck!"

Gouto pawed at his collar with a smirk. "Looks like our reputation precedes us."

"As I said before, I'm not out to kill you." Another lie. From whom had he learned of her? "Now, tell us what you know about Dahn and the insects."

"I don't know much about the insect," Tatsumi suddenly admitted, like the name Raidou Kuzunoha was a truth serum. Gouto beamed at that thought. "I just got it from someone else. Do you remember those masked men? They gave it to me…Th-They tempted me! The insect can steal other people's luck, y'see, and thanks to it I got real lucky…" He took out a thick red container from somewhere on his person. It was the same box one of the masked men had held out to Kotone the day before. "This cage houses the insect. Come to think of it, when I got the insect from the masked men, _he_ was there!"

"Dahn?"

"No, the guy in the picture! I mean, yes, Dahn! He told me specifically not to tell anyone about them…" said Tatsumi with some exasperation, before suddenly gasping and covering his mouth. "I-I've said too much… Curse my luck! Are they gonna come after me?"

"Very likely," Kotone replied, thinking of how the masked men had followed her hunt for Tatsumi without even Gouto noticing.

"Wait…" Tatsumi went forward and grabbed her arm. "You said you were a Devil Summoner, right? Hey, can you help me? It's your job to protect people, right?"

Kotone removed his hold on her and glanced down at Gouto, who rolled his eyes. "It_ is_ your duty."

"Fine," said Raidou, reluctantly.

"Yes!" Tatsumi jumped for joy. "I knew luck was on my side! I'll give you a juicy piece of info about Dahn. Picking a fight with those masked men is the same as picking a fight with _him_." He glanced at her, his eyebrows bouncing. "You ready for this? Dahn is actually—huh? What's this?"

Something within Tatsumi began to glow. A sphere of light, expanding slowly from his stomach, was growing past his head. It wasn't blinding, but Kotone and Gouto couldn't stand to watch.

"So warm…so…hot…?" Tatsumi muttered, holding out to the beams of light escaping him. "Am I dying…? Hey…"

Raidou returned to her senses and moved forward, reaching out for Tatsumi's hands, but he was already fading away. She only went through him.

"If I die," he said to her, somewhat peacefully, "those masked men can't get me…! I…I really am lucky…"

Another flash of light and he was gone. Only pieces of the red insect cage he was holding were left behind, scattered on the floor.

"No…" Kotone shook her head mournfully. "He didn't finish what he was saying."

Gouto clicked his tongue. "We almost got him to spill everything on his dealings with Dahn! Could the masked men have done this…?"

"It certainly wasn't a demon," said Kotone, kneeling down and collecting the shards of the insect cage in her cape. Tatsumi's luck, shattered in an instant. Divine retribution? She liked to think so. Something in her wondered if even a man like Tatsumi had deserved such an enigmatic fate, but she brushed it away. "What now?"

"Well…since he's up and vanished, we're out of leads. Let's head back to the agency."

* * *

Despite the warning of impending doom from the Yatagarasu and a masked version of herself in a blazing storm, there was something about sitting in the office and doing Shouhei Narumi's work for him that put Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th at peace.

Kotone was sorting out and rewriting case files on the table. Narumi had done a poor job of it, but at the moment was too busy to bother with something so secretarial as filing folders correctly. The boss had undertaken the tedious task of putting the insect cage shards back together, warning Gouto beforehand that if he jumped on his desk as he worked _one more time_, he was like to cut the old soul's current tail off.

Gouto prowled about the agency impatiently. Tatsumi's obscure fate had left him hanging, and sitting around, waiting for Narumi to figure something out was too taxing on his nerves. "Kotone, choose a case file. Maybe one of them will give us an idea of what to do next."

"Yes, Gouto. Allow me to finish rewriting this last case file…" the devil summoner mumbled busily. She scribbled a little, then stopped, the right side of her lip shooting up in amusement. Her eyebrows furrowed before she snickered softly.

Gouto jumped to her table and tilted his head. "What's that?"

Kotone shook her head and sat back, facing Narumi. "Boss, a missing Mahjong set doesn't qualify as a special case. Although, sending _yourself_ a case file might…"

Had Narumi not been so focused on the puzzle of the insect cage, he would have replied with a sheepish or sarcastic remark, but at the moment he was practically kissing the red splinters on his desk. Gouto laughed a little before saying, "Now you know how I feel."

Kotone shrugged. "I suppose we should be glad of the chance to see the boss in action…?"

"Watching his reactions to different types of demons is more entertaining," Gouto sighed. "Pick a case file, Kotone."

Raidou understood that her great ancestor was anxious to get out and find new leads again. She pulled out a neatly written folder. "How about this one? Dr. Victor needs a child of Lilith for one of his experiments."

"Didn't you promise Lilim you would never fuse her?"

"Oh, yes. Too bad," she said humorously. She and Lilim had known each other since childhood; her father hated the demoness's mother. Clan training permitted Kotone to use only her father's demons, and Lilith forbade her children to approach Raidou Kuzunoha the 13th and any of his allies. The newborn Lilim became curious about the up-and-coming summoner her brood so urgently chattered about, however, and approached a then nine-year old Kotone. They warmed to each other in an instant and played together in secret, both knowing the enmity between their families, but when Kotone turned thirteen, the clan uncovered their friendship and ordered the 14th to capture her, despite it being too early for her first demon. Kotone obeyed, as was expected of each Raidou Kuzunoha, but not before swearing to her friend that she would never harm or release her, as doing the latter would unleash the full extent of the fury of the demon girl's mother (under Kotone's bidding, her mother could do nothing). After that they were kept apart for two years and a half until she officially became the 14th. And now they were working together again; with such a history it was probably best if she didn't turn her over to Dr. Victor. "How about—"

There was a rush of air and noise from the street as the door opened. The shoes that clacked into the agency were so familiar that Kotone could almost see their pink hue.

"Hiya, guys!"

Kotone got to her feet and bowed appropriately. "Good morning, Miss Asakura."

Tae hung her jacket on the rack and smiled. "Hi, Kotone, Gouto." She blinked expectantly. When Narumi's sour greeting didn't fill her ears, she stepped deeper into the office with a quirked brow. "Narumi? Oh…"

Narumi was so concentrated that his tongue was sticking out of his mouth, rather childishly in Kotone's opinion, but she couldn't tell what Tae thought about it. The woman's eyes glazed over a little, watching the detective with a gentleness foreign to her personality. For a moment the devil summoner wondered if the reporter was possessed, but Tae snapped out of her reverie before Raidou could test her theory.

Tae put her hands to her hips. "So, even little splinters rate higher than me nowadays, huh?"

"It isn't that," Kotone explained, coming up beside her. "This is ruined evidence from our investigation so far. Boss is only trying to put it back together."

Tae laughed at Raidou's alarm. "I was only kidding. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being passionate about an investigation—I'll forgive him this time. By the way, do you remember that 'spiriting away' at Mannen-Cho I told you about?"

"Yes, of course."

"The missing people came back," the reporter said almost disappointedly. "The police have called off the search, too. Still, no one's seen Tatsumi—so it looks like the case isn't quite closed yet."

Kotone debated in her mind if Tae had the right to know of Tatsumi's indeed mysterious disappearance. "Miss Asakura—"

The screech of Narumi's chair as he slammed it against the wall cut her off. "Holy smokes, Raidou, take a look at this!" the detective exclaimed, pointing at a now complete insect cage. Even Gouto had to admit it was amazing. "Right here, there's—"

Narumi glanced up to grin triumphantly at his protégée, only to lay eyes on his favorite journalist. He rose abruptly. "T-Tae? Since when did you get here?"

Tae's quirked eyebrow returned. "Swell greeting there, Narumi. You obviously have your hands full, so why don't I go pour myself some coffee?"

Narumi pouted. "This isn't a café…" Still, he turned to Kotone. "Raidou, could you make sure she doesn't break anything?"

"Hey!"

Kotone made a beeline for the coffee in the kitchen and poured Tae a cup, ignoring her indignant huffs and making her sit on the sofa. Gouto spoke to his descendant from the shelf by the rails. "You know, that was only another way of telling you to serve the dame."

"I am aware," replied the devil summoner, whispering as she passed by the cat, "Errand girl, remember? Such is the existence…"

Gouto laughed, prompting a narrowing of the eyes from Narumi, but was ultimately ignored. When Kotone handed Tae her coffee and returned the case files into the shelves, Narumi said, "Thanks, Raidou. Anyway, I tried putting these together, and look what you get…"

Raidou knelt before Narumi's desk, on eye-level with the cage. With the box on its side, she could see a circle at the bottom—a crest.

* * *

"Hah!" Narumi snapped triumphantly at the end of another Investigational Meeting, during which they had completely ignored Tae. She didn't actually mind; she found it entertaining, watching how others dealt with the detective, who continued: "I'm hitting on all sixes today! I remembered something during the meeting. I knew I'd seen that pattern on the insect cage before, in some document or other. It's called the Tento Crest."

Gouto gasped. "The Tento Crest?"

Narumi caught the surprise in his meowing. "Did I alarm you?"

"It seems he's heard of it, too," Kotone replied for the cat. "What is this crest?"

"I'm not too familiar with it, but I do know it's the family crest of an old clan known as the Tsukigata."

Tae nearly sneezed the coffee from her nose. Kotone sat back a little; it seemed the boss was saying all sorts of shocking things today. She wondered what would catch her off guard. "Narumi," said Tae, "did I just hear you say _Tsukigata_?"

"Tae?" said Narumi. Kotone wondered why they said each other's names so often. "You know something about the Tsukigata you wanna share?"

"Of course!" Tae grinned. "There've been a pile of suspicious VIP deaths in about every area of society through the years…If you dig deep enough into those kinds of cases, a certain name comes up nearly every time."

"Tsukigata," said Narumi, Kotone and Gouto in unison.

Tae nodded, tapping her temple as if it would help her memory. "That name's practically a boogeyman to us journos… Everyone knows you don't get involved with the Tsukigata. Word is, if you so much as let their name slip, men in strange outfits will come for you."

Gouto and Kotone frowned at each other. Black ninja garb, bug-like masks, red insect cages and katanas — strange enough.

Tae continued. "For their crest to be found in the Capital…Well, I…!" The shiver was obvious in her shoulders. "I…I'm…"

"Yeah. The idea that these creeps are lurking somewhere in the Capital…Well, it puts something of a damper on the idea of going for a stroll, doesn't it? But don't worry, Tae," said Narumi, his voice suddenly gentle, but at the same time, firm. The arrogance Kotone and Gouto knew he slipped in there purposely was gone for a moment. Narumi lifted a hand as if to touch her shoulder, but his eyes darted to Kotone and Gouto—especially Gouto—and he withdrew it instantly. He placed both hands on the table and cracked his knuckles. "We have Raidou. And heck, if worst comes to worst, I'll… I'll…"

"I'm interested!" Tae said suddenly, an excited giggle escaping her throat. "You're investigating the Tsukigata? Count me in!"

Narumi sat back. So much for chivalry. "Huh?"

"The Tsukigata clan's the stuff of rumors, folklore, and old wives' tales…" Tae explained, her eyes brighter and brighter by the second, "but you've found a Tento Crest right here in the Capital! This changes everything—they really exist! You've said so yourself, Narumi—hard evidence doesn't lie! Now do you get it?"

Narumi scratched his head. He wasn't warming up to the thought, though he knew Tae wasn't one to be swayed from her crazy ideas. "Well…I suppose."

Kotone watched the exchange with a small chuckle. The boss's exasperation was always amusing. "So," she said, slipping into the conversation, "where do we begin our investigation?"

"Oh! I read somewhere that the Tsukigata are supposed to be in the San'in region."

Narumi's eyes bugged out. "The San'in region? You can't get there without several train transfers out west, further and further…" Narumi rubbed a hand over his face. "Ugh…I get dizzy just thinking of all the time it'll take…"

Tae rolled her eyes. "Come on, Narumi! You're acting like an old grump." She clasped her hands together, sighing dreamily. "Doesn't it sound romantic? A trip to the country?"

"We can bring pillows," Kotone suggested, an index finger positioned thoughtfully on her chin. "Our fellow passengers will be too weary of their own travels to spare us scandalous glances."

"Sorry, Raidou. Pillows aren't going to cut it."

"You know, Kotone," Tae said, her eyes flickering between the devil summoner and her boss, "I'm craving for some strawberry shortcake. Do you think we should pack some for the trip?"

Kotone couldn't understand why Tae's eyebrows were bouncing. Unsurely, she replied, "If that is your wish, I suppose…?"

Tae was expecting a lukewarm answer like that from her; Narumi had admitted that she was the first he'd shared his secret with. "Great! Strawberry shortcake, then. Yum!" She licked her lips and smirked, greatly reminding Raidou of Lilim before an easy battle.

Narumi sighed. He got up and dumped his chair near the bookshelf by his desk, then propped himself on it and reached for a dusty suitcase at the very top. He clapped the webs off of it with a huff. "To the Tsukigata Village…but _only_ because I want to!"

Tae laughed. "Atta boy."

* * *

Kotone's eyelids opened slowly. She felt her legs stretch themselves out, and in her arms something fuzzy stirred. The room was constantly moving, shaking, like…

"Earthquake…?" she gasped, shooting up in her seat, the fuzzy object still ensconced in her arms.

From across the table, Narumi and Tae glanced at each other quizzically. "Raidou?" said Narumi, an eyebrow raised, "We're on the train to _that_ village, remember?"

Kotone's vision settled as soon as Narumi's calm voice reached her ears. The place was covered in different hues of red. The walls were bright, the scratchy curtains maroon, and the floor looked to be splashed in fresh blood. They were taking this train into the San'in region and a bus to Tsukigata Village. Narumi and Tae had given her other half of the booth to sleep on when she started yawning earlier on, and Gouto was the fuzzy object in her arms. In surprisingly deep sleep, he moved about, but didn't awaken.

"Yes," she said, her uncharacteristic rubbing of her eyes reminding the two adults with her that she was still a little girl. For Raidou, however, it was a pity she had to wake up all of a sudden. Her wonderful dream was just reaching its climax – Tatsumi was about to slip on his 35th banana peel. "Yes, the train. Of course, boss." Catching sight of the tiny space between Tae and Narumi, the devil summoner felt a little guilty. She was trained to withstand the most uncomfortable circumstances, and yet she had allowed her position as the "child" in the group to acquire this entire half of the booth. "Would…any of you like to switch places?" she asked, though she still wanted to return to her dream. "You both deserve rest."

"It's all right," said Tae.

"It's fine, Raidou," said Narumi, at the same time.

Kotone couldn't help but raise her own brow at how hastily they had replied.

"It's real gracious of you," Tae explained, glancing at Narumi as though requesting for support, "but you're the one who does most the fighting, Kotone. You should rest in case anything happens in the village, y'know?"

"You know, I do some fighting, too," said Narumi.

"I didn't say you didn't, I just said she did _most_ of the fighting. You really do have wax in your ears…"

"Hey!"

"Good night," Kotone said, but to herself, really, because they weren't paying her much mind anymore, and gave Gouto's fur a slight brush before her head hit the pillow and she fell back asleep.

Kotone awoke next to Gouto's grumbling.

"Gouto…?" she yawned soundlessly, stretching her legs out again. "Is something the matter?"

Gouto rolled his cat eyes but shook his head and sighed. "It just bugs me, not being able to have an intelligent conversation when you're not around. Or when you're asleep."

"I'm awake now," Kotone offered in a whisper, still lying on her side. Narumi and Tae were speaking in hushed tones. From her position across and below the table, she could see that they were sitting awfully close to each other. That couldn't be very comfortable. She would offer her spot to them, but she knew they would simply refuse because she was the "child" in the group and they felt they needed to care for her. Even though she was much more capable of defending herself on a few hours of sleep than them on enough hours of rest. "Why, Gouto? Did you just come to a realization?"

"Not really," Gouto shrugged his cat shoulders. "This train ride is just abhorrently boring."

Kotone couldn't help but grin. "Yes, that is why I've been sleeping through it. We slept through almost the entire trip from home to the Capital. Is something keeping you up, Gouto?"

"Just a feeling is all," Gouto replied, twirling at his whiskers. "I haven't actually seen anyone yet, but call it summoner's intuition when I say we're being followed."

"Those strange men in masks followed us without us even realizing it," Raidou remembered, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden. She remembered the Fukorutsubo and whatever they had done to her in there, with that bright light and her feeling empty, and how she had been walking into doors and tripping over completely flat floors lately. "My own damn luck, they said… If we are forced to battle here, I hope the boss and Miss Asakura have enough sense to stay away."

"You say that like their company is a bad thing."

"It's much appreciated, even by you," said Kotone, defensively. "But they don't understand how it is to be a Protector of the Capital. Only you and I do, Gouto. If they enter battle not knowing what is at stake – their lives – if only for my sake and are injured, that would be foolish, wouldn't it? They aren't trained warriors. Although the boss was able to pick up on how to handle my gun and the powers the demons could lend it, he is still shaken by the strange, sometimes hideous sight of them. Nezha isn't half as terrifying as Rangda, for example. We can't afford to think of that in battle."

Only she could recognize the twirl of Gouto's mouth as a smirk. "Narumi was shaken by those Fury Nezha…the way you were petrified by that oversized grasshopper, Jiromaru?"

Kotone stopped for a moment and frowned. "There's a difference, Gouto."

"No," Gouto said, "there isn't. Now stop worrying about those two; they're grown adults. Besides, if there's a possibility that Tae'll come to any harm, Narumi'll be right on the case. You should focus on defeating whatever it is that attacks us. _If_ we come under attack at all. You worry too much sometimes, Kotone."

Kotone blinked. "It was you who said we were being followed."

"True, but—"

"Kotone?" came Tae's voice from above. "You're awake?"

Kotone lifted herself with her left arm and peered up at the two adults now staring at her. They seemed very guilty, though she couldn't think of why. They didn't hear her speaking with Gouto, did they? "Oh, yes." She straightened herself up and peeled the curtains back to see outside the train. Lots and lots of countryside, with hills rolling and forests coming in and out of view. "Are we there yet?"

Narumi and Tae grinned at each other, and the former replied, "Nope. A few more hours, I'd say. Go back to sleep, Raidou."

"It's all right," said Gouto, patting her hand with a paw. "I'm going to look around for anyone who might be following us."

"But Gouto—"

"Good night, Kotone," said the first Raidou Kuzunoha.

"Good night," said his obedient descendant, aiming to please as always.

Kotone awoke next when she finally tired of sleeping.

The devil summoner sat up, completely refreshed. She checked herself for her belongings. Schoolcap still in place (of course), cape on her back, shoes and socks on her feet, gun in its holster, tubes on her chest, and Narumi had hidden her sword in his tall suitcase. And yet there was something wrong…

The seats before her were empty. Raidou stood up slightly and glanced around the passenger car. The boss had earlier mentioned the existence of a bar on one of the cars, and in response Tae had invited him to see how like the Shin Sekai it was. Upon failing to see her companions, she shrugged and slid back into her seat. Her eyes landed on something white against the stark brown from across the table. It was a note that confirmed her suspicions and calmed any fears she might have had of her companions being transported to the Fukorutsubo. In any case, the latter was a silly theory. The masked men had fought her, not the boss, and they didn't even know Tae. Or perhaps they did, what with all the stalking they had done to the members of the Narumi Detective Agency lately.

Kotone shook her head. This did nothing for her nerves, and Tae had already said, in her distinctively curly handwriting, that they were off to the bar. This didn't count for Gouto's absence in their booth, but the devil summoner figured her ancestor was still of searching for pursuers. She hoped he hadn't been captured…

There was a clump of curls just below the doorway. Its owner was staring directly at her.

Raidou froze, staring at the hat of the man behind Narumi's side of the booth. At the far end of the passenger car, his body she could barely see because he was wearing predominantly red clothing that blended with the train's inner red walls, was a man with chaotic, curly hair. She could see him from the corner of her eye, his eyes glaring into her existence.

When she moved to make eye contact, he disappeared behind the doors.

Was this a challenge? Kotone stood, swiftly enough to suit her tastes but slowly so as not to startle the rest of the passengers. She followed him out the door after slamming her nose into it and into the next passenger car where the bar was, though she barely noticed the purple bonnet and the white hat that turned in her direction when she bolted and nearly tripped past them and out the door again. She jumped and lifted herself to the car's roof, thinking she could see him from above if he were to run from car to car, but there was no one. In her haste, Raidou didn't notice the oversized grasshopper flying in the opposite direction of the train.

"Young man," there called a man's voice from below, "young man! Get down from there. Don't you know you could die?"

Kotone peered off the edge and saw one of the train company's employees. "Yes. Forgive me," she said in a deliberately low voice, and dusted her pant legs off once she climbed down the ladder, almost slipping off. It simply wasn't her week. "I thought I saw a…a rare tree in the distance. I'm an avid tree scholar."

The employee rolled his eyes. "Stay in your seat, kid," he said, opening the door and shoving Raidou inside. "Damn hooligans…"

Kotone ignored that bitter member of the work force and continued to dust herself inside the train. Two familiar figures entered the passenger car just as she looked up: Narumi and Tae.

"Raidou," said Narumi, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"Kotone!" Tae exclaimed, pulling her by the arm. The two adults dragged her past the car with the bar and back into their booth.

"What just happened?" asked Narumi, forcing her back into her seat.

"I thought I saw Dahn," replied Raidou, smoothing the creases on her cousin's uniform out when they released her. "But whether or not it was really him, he disappeared. Didn't you see the man in red running past your passenger car?"

Tae shook her head. "There was only you, Kotone."

Narumi gave her a badly concealed look of worry and said, "Maybe you should go back to sleep, Raidou."

* * *

The Tsukigata Village was extremely gloomy.

For all the hard work and pain the Kuzunoha Village put Kotone through, it was never this depressing. It was lively, even, with the presence of demons, though sometimes to the point of being chaotic, and almost always hot and sunny. Over here in the San'in region it was cold – not only the weather, but the people, too. The Kuzunoha village was wary of outsiders as well, but they at least masked it with warm smiles and kind words, however ready they were with the swords on their hips. If not the Kuzunoha Village, then the Dark Realm. At least there the sky and the demons were colorful; here _everything_ was gray, from the sky to the houses to the people's clothing, except perhaps for the green and red masks hanging on the front doors of the poor villagers' houses that reminded her of watermelons.

Lilim was having great fun reading the minds of the villagers. "Listen to this one, Kotone," she giggled, flying over to an old woman. "She thinks that just the sight of you outsiders makes her stomach churn! Oh, isn't it ridiculous?"

"Please be quiet, Lilim," said Raidou, waving at her dismissively, which actually defeated the whole point of her summoning Lilim. So much for entertainment.

"Yeah, so much for entertainment," said Lilim, rolling her eyes. "You're becoming as boring as these villagers! Then again, you've always been a little dull…"

Kotone straightened up and crossed her arms at Lilim. "You were reading my mind? I thought we agreed that you would never trespass. Do you want me to fuse you?"

Lilim grinned. "Well, that got a rise out of you, didn't it? Which is more than I can say for these weird villagers…and it's kind of depressing how you don't even try to deny that you're boring."

Kotone shrugged her off and sent her back into her tube. A devil summoner had no business looking for entertainment when they were on a case, anyway. She and Gouto (who had turned out to be asleep on Narumi and Tae's side of the booth) caught up with Narumi and Tae up the village steps. They came upon a house of brown and white – the most color she had seen since they arrived – surrounded by greenery and the inviting smell of hot springs to the right. An aproned old woman whose hair was pulled into a bun met them on their way towards it.

"Hey there," she said, giving them a crooked smile. Kotone didn't need Lilim to know that she was just as wary of them as the rest of the villagers. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

"The Fukuroku Inn, ma'am," said Narumi, tipping his hat. Tae gave one of her winning smiles while Raidou and Gouto inclined their heads.

"Well, yer in luck," said the woman, keeping up her crooked smile, though she seemed to be having a hard time with it. "The building yew see right in front there is the Fukuroku Inn. Came to stay, right? Go on in."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Narumi and Tae in unison, and entered.

"The town may be…rustic," said Gouto, looking up at the establishment with a step forward, "but the inn seems pretty solidly built."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the innkeeper cried out, stepping forward as if to kick Gouto. Raidou stepped in the way, a hand to her sword's hilt already. The old woman backed away, recognizing the protective flash of Kotone's eyes, but still frowned. "Keep that cat o'yers on a leash, y'hear?"

Kotone released her sword and bowed. "Yes, ma'am."

"And don't ever…_ever_…fool around with this mask, understand?" the old woman motioned to the mask that reminded Kotone of watermelons hanging in front of the door. It looked so familiar, and not because it was making her hungry. The innkeeper continued, "Didja think the mask looked like a tasty watermelon?"

Raidou didn't reply. Were the people here secretly Pagan-order demons? Surely not. She would have sensed it.

The innkeeper smirked, as though reading her mind again. "Smart girl. Yew'll catch hell if yew don't think before yew talk. Yew'd better not touch Lord Shinado's mask. It's very holy."

"Thank you for the warning, ma'am," said Raidou, bowing again, but felt the triumphant one as the thought of touching the mask behind her back crept into her thoughts. Lilim was beginning to become a very bad influence.

* * *

Later that night, Kotone listened to her boss and Miss Asakura exchange friendly banter about the five star Fukuroku Inn and whatnot. She would have joined the conversation, but she had other things to worry about. The lack of battles since they arrived here, for instance. She was the Protector of the Capital and should like peace, but from time to time she liked a challenging battle, or at least something to take her frustrations out on. Frustrations due to the way that innkeeper had talked about Gouto, for example, as though he were a mere alley cat. She wanted to step outside and order Mezuki to spar with her, but she needed her energy in case there was an attack. She hoped there would be an attack soon, because there was a fire in her at the moment that could only be extinguished by a good battle.

"Kotone? Kotone?" Tae's voice called from a land that seemed far away.

Or right beside her. Kotone glanced to her right, catching Narumi's ever quizzical part of mouth, and to her left, Tae's worried smile. "I'm sorry, I was deep in thought. What was it, Miss Asakura?"

"Did the inn's hostess snap at you?"

"A little," Raidou shrugged. "She was quite cranky."

"I bet you tried to touch the mask out front, huh? I caught holy hell for doing the same."

"Actually—"

"It's all over town, if you haven't noticed," Tae continued. "There's a custom here of hanging up a green mask. That's Shinado, an indigenous god. Hanging the mask is a form of reverence…"

"Yes, the innkeeper told me. She was extremely cranky about it."

Tae giggled at that. "That might've been my—hmm?"

Narumi and Kotone followed Tae's eyes towards Gouto. "There's something caught in Gouto's collar here…"

Having been relaxing by himself, Gouto's eyes bulged as Tae reached into his collar. "H-Hey! Wh-What are you…!"

Kotone recognized the little object Tae had pulled out as her mentor's Detective Notebook. "Oops," she muttered, giving Gouto a sheepish upturn of the lips when he glared at her as if to say, _Why didn't you warn me?_

"Holy cats!" Tae exclaimed, flipping the notebook open, "Some kind of notebook…? Oh, how cute!" She nuzzled Gouto's chin as if to say _Good job!_

Gouto didn't appreciate it, however. "G-Give that back!" he snarled, clawing at it though it was far beyond his reach. "That's my detective's notebook!"

"I've never seen such a small notebook before. Which department store sells these…?" Tae pondered. Narumi didn't need Kotone's mangled translations to understand Gouto's pitiful protests, but the two members of the Detective Agency were far too entertained by Tae's wonder to intervene. Before anyone knew it, Tae had written her own entry into Gouto's notebook and the cat looked almost as depressed as the rest of the townspeople.

"Th-This is an outrage…" said Gouto, flipping the notebook open to the page Tae had written in and feeling very tempted to claw the page out. He read through it, however, and found the entry useful. Unfortunately. He really wanted to claw it out, chew it up, spit it out, and bury it forever. His cat eyes narrowed to slits. "That notebook contained records of every Kuzunoha Devil Summoner I've watched over… That notebook has a history! And…someone else wrote in it…"

"I'm sorry, Gouto," said Kotone, brushing her hand over his head.

"What did he say?" Tae asked.

"Your entry was…informative, but he would appreciate it if you didn't write in _his_ notebook again," Raidou replied, leaving out the parts where Gouto probably wanted to summon a demon at her at that very moment.

"Oh, okay. Sorry, Gouto," said Tae, a cheerful smile on her face. "I'll get you some catnip to make up for it next time, hmm?"

Narumi cleared his throat. "Now, Tae, sorry to break up your little tête à tête with Gouto, but…" he gave Gouto, who still looked to be murderous, an apologetic look. "It's time you spilled it. Tell us about Dahn's house."

"Oh, yeah, of course," said Tae. "The Tento Crest tipped me off, actually. Long story short, the Tsukigata clan are the rulers of the Tsukigata Village! Earlier, I started asking around about the Tsukigata Mansion, and I found out what the chief's son's name is. Care to guess?" Before anyone could venture a guess, Tae's excitement got the better of her. "It's Dahn!" she exclaimed, waving her hands a little as though that would make her less jumpy. "The very same man you're after!"

"I see," said Narumi. "Our Dahn, the one Akane wants us to find, has some connection with the Fukoshi and the Tento Crest… While Tae's Dahn is the scion of the Tsukigata clan, a clan of Fukoshi whose family crest is the Tento. Same name. Same associations. And that means…"

"I wish he wouldn't go around and around like this," Gouto grumbled, still sulking.

"The Tsukigata Mansion you scouted out is the home of the same man," Narumi finished.

"Right as rain. Well done, detective," Tae grinned.

"And you think we'll find some more leads or Dahn here, do you?" Narumi said to her. "Well, it's worth a shot… Right, Raidou?"

Kotone was surprised to be included in their conversation – they had been having many of their own recently – but replied quickly. "Yes, boss." It was certainly better than sitting around here and waiting for the cranky innkeeper to visit and scold her about whatever came to mind again.

"But it's getting late," said Narumi, checking his watch. "Let's start fresh tomorrow, okay?"

Kotone nodded, and Tae pointed to the door. "All right, Narumi, Gouto, get to your own room."

"Already up," said the boss with a slight upturn of the lips, but his face became stern as he called to Kotone by the door. Gouto was already at his feet, ready for some rest after a disappointing night. "Raidou, can I talk to you for a second?"

Raidou was at his side in an instant. "If things turn bad, I don't mind if I take a few lumps, but I'd rather Tae not get caught up in this," said Narumi.

"Of course, boss," said Kotone. "If you can keep Miss Asakura out of the way, I can take care of any problem that might arise."

Narumi blinked. He meant to be the one to battle, of course, to keep Tae safe, but apparently he'd forgotten that his youthful apprentice was a great Devil Summoner with one world-saving feat under her belt already. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. Good night, Raidou. Good night, Tae," he called out to the reporter.

"It's Kichou!" Miss Asakura yelled right before Narumi closed the door with a smirk. Dismissing him with a shrug, Tae turned to Kotone. "You two are thick as thieves. So what were you two whispering about, hmm?"

"Nothing so secretive so as to be thick as thieves," said Kotone, thoughtfully. "He was only worried about you. But he trusts I can keep you safe."

Tae's face went red. "O-Oh. That's very nice of him."

"Don't be angry, Miss Asakura," said Kotone, who wasn't quite in the mood for another of Tae's feminist rants. She usually was, but the night wasn't going by quickly enough and she wanted to sleep (no matter how energized she felt) just to reach tomorrow. There was something about this village that made her anxious. "The boss respects your, er, independence, but allow him this one worry. It isn't often he shows his concern for others."

"Oh," Tae smiled in amusement, the color of her face returning to normal. "I'm not angry! Don't worry. Good night, Kotone."

For the fourth time that day, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th nodded off into her pillow and said, "Good night."

* * *

"_Stop the fretful baby's wail_

_Take from the earth the moon so pale_

_Feed the baby his meal frail_

_Ma in the sky is watching you_

_When the sky is pierced right through_

_You'll sleep at Great Ma's bosom too_

_Don't let the fretful baby cry_

_Ma'll cut you to shreds and you'll die_

_Ma'll rip you apart and you'll die._"

Kotone shook her head once she finished the song. Narumi had taken just about forever ("And I know forever," said Gouto) to get up and go, so Raidou had taken the time to speak with the few villagers who didn't glare at her and hiss as soon as she was three feet away. That song, she had just learned from two relatively friendly little girls from the village. "That was a mite morbid, don't you think?"

"Not just a little," Narumi snorted. "And not very appropriate considering it's a children's song."

Now she, Narumi, and Gouto were on their way to the Tento Woods, the only thing standing between them and the Tsukigata Mansion. With the exception, perhaps, of a girl by the entrance of the Woods. She was standing beside what seemed to be a weathered old supplies house. As they neared her, Raidou realized how _white_ she was. They were pale – most of her countrymen were – but this foreign girl, if she would only step into the sunlight, Raidou was sure the light would _radiate_ off of her. And her ice blue eyes were interesting.

She thought of that handsome foreign boy, that Louis, but while his eyes, too, were cold, they were a deeper shade of blue, and he wasn't nearly as pale. In fact, in the heat of that first day she met him, his cheeks were rather pink. Although a very suspicious character, he really was very handsome. Or it could have been that great power of his that made him appealing, the same way Gouto and the wisdom he emanated usually made strangers act foolishly or unsurely around her.

When Kotone was finished staring at her and thinking, she realized Narumi had already begun to speak with the girl. "Hello there," he had said, tipping his hat off to her and taking out the Tento Crest portion of the box he had pieced together, "Say, do you know anything about this crest? It's supposed to be the Tsukigata family crest, but…"

The blue-eyed girl said nothing. She only brushed her long, jet black hair and stared back at Narumi. When she noticed Kotone, she decided to stare at her, instead.

Narumi cleared his throat. "Well then," he said, tipping his hat again and turning away, "Sorry to bother you…"

Before Kotone could break eye contact and follow her boss, the blue-eyed girl spoke. "Go straight through this forest," she said in perfect Japanese, her eyes burning into Kotone's. Raidou didn't mind; she had gained Gozuki's respect when she was able to keep eye contact with him, unintimidated, so it was very likely that this was the way to convince the girl to speak, too. She continued, "After you pass through to the other side, you will see a mansion in the basin ahead. That mansion is the Tsukigata residence you seek."

Kotone inclined her head gratefully, but she couldn't bring herself to smile just yet. "Thank you."

Before they could enter the thickets, the blue-eyed girl called after them. "I can offer you one warning," she said. "It's why I was waiting here. Your arrival is within the bounds of their conjecture."

The members of the Narumi Detective Agency turned around and met eyes. Gouto spoke their collective thought: "They're expecting us…?"

The girl paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Exactly."

Kotone's mind raced. The girl could understand Gouto. She couldn't be a mentor herself. And that sword on her hip…could she be…? A girl her age? A Summoner, too? How…interesting.

"My words are particularly directed towards the…student there," said the blue-eyed girl, staring at Raidou again. "The process you have chosen is, in theory, filled with peril… I would prefer it if this _goodbye_ does not become an eternal farewell." After another short pause, she said, "Goodbye."

The three watched her walk out of the Tento Woods. Once she was gone, Narumi smirked. "She went from clamming up to practically gushing… I don't get young girls these days." He frowned. "Wait, does that make me sound old?"

Kotone furrowed her eyebrows at him, as if to ask why his thoughts were so trivial compared to what she had in mind, which she expressed soon after. "Gouto, she understood you. I think she may be a Summoner. Like me. A Summoner my age, can you imagine?"

"It's possible…" Gouto said, still unnerved that another young girl had understood him.

"I've never seen you so excited," Narumi said of Raidou's hurried speech. "I never thought excited could even be placed in the same sentence as you, Raidou."

"It isn't every day I see another female Summoner my age," Kotone explained.

Narumi shrugged. "We'll figure that little tidbit out another time. C'mon, we know where we're going now. Let's be on our way to the Tsukigata mansion. She said it's just past this forest, right?"

"Yes, in a basin," said Kotone, regaining the little composure she had lost. "We should get going. We don't want to stay here until dark, after all, when it's most dangerous."

Narumi almost laughed. "Raidou, it's barely noon. What makes you think we won't find that basin before the sun sets?"

* * *

Oh Narumi, you haven't been on enough adventures with Raidou and Gouto to know any better.

Next chapter sneak peek time!

_"RAIDOU GREAT SUMMONER. RAIDOU GREATEST SUMMONER. YOU DOUBT RAIDOU? FOOLISH GIRL!"_

review!


	5. The Summoner of Tsukigata

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Hooray for back-to-back updates! This chapter's title was inspired by the theme of Geirin (of the same title, hahaha!). Raidou the 14th OST = FTW

Previously...

_"Yes, in a basin," said Kotone, regaining the little composure she had lost. "We should get going. We don't want to stay here until dark, after all, when it's most dangerous."_

_Narumi almost laughed. "Raidou, it's barely noon. What makes you think we won't find that basin before the sun sets?"_

* * *

_Chapter 5: The Summoner of Tsukigata_

"Something tells me we won't find that basin before the sun sets," said Narumi glumly.

They had been going around the Woods for what already felt like days, though his watch said otherwise. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate nature, but the former military man just couldn't understand why the people of Tsukigata village hadn't cut a clear path towards their leaders' home yet. Everything looked the same. The same trees, the same shrubs, the same creepy vines that seemed to follow them around everywhere. For all his and Raidou's and Gouto's expertise in their own fields of knowledge, the Narumi Detective Agency was lost.

"You all right back there, Raidou?" he called, and looked back just in time to see the devil summoner slip. She regained her balance quickly, jumped backwards and stabbed something in the air before her as soon as she landed. Whatever Raidou had stabbed, she turned over to the side with her sword, now dripping with violet blood.

"Thank you, Dominion," she said to the demon beside her.

"You are most welcome, Kotone," replied Dominion. "They don't make those Fury order Turdak like they used to. Are you all right? You've been quite clumsy of late."

"I'm all right. In any case, I suspect the Turdak usually prey on villagers, and have become lax in their training," the devil summoner thought out loud.

"Quite possibly," said Dominion. "You must take care not to let that happen to you, Kotone."

Kotone agreed and returned Dominion to his tube. She caught up with Narumi, using one of the enormous leaves in the forest to clean her sword, and said, "You called, boss?"

"Interesting conversation you were having there," said her boss. "Anyway, we've been here for almost an hour. Something's not right."

"I agree," said Gouto, before yelling out, "Show yourself, you trickster!"

Narumi tried not to snicker at the loud meowing Gouto was doing and turned to Kotone. "What did he say, Raidou?"

"A demon is the reason why we're lost like this. He's trying to correct the situation, boss."

"Why are you getting in our way?" Gouto continued to shout.

A black and blue flash of light signified their trickster's arrival. It was a High Pixie, clothed in a pretty blue and red kimono, not that Kotone understood nor cared for the semantics of fashion. She appreciated the pretty shimmer of the demon's wings, however, despite how it now reminded her of Jiromaru and bugs.

"Umm, how do I say this," said the High Pixie in its uncertain, high-pitched voice. "I'm helping out a friend?"

"Your helping out a friend is hindering us," said Kotone, finished with admiring her wings. She didn't mind not having to leave the woods immediately—the demons here provided for a good fight every now and then—but she didn't like being led around. "I suggest you stop immediately."

"W-Wait," said the High Pixie, catching Raidou's trigger hand reaching for the gun holster, "you met the girl at the entrance to the Woods, right? Na—I mean, she wanted to warn you that going to that house would be dangerous. That's why I was helping her."

"But you must have known that just getting us lost wouldn't stop us from going through the woods…" Gouto said, groaning with exasperation.

"What's happening?" asked Narumi, staring at the space where the High Pixie should have been.

"That blue-eyed girl _is_ a devil summoner," Raidou whispered to him as Gouto spoke, "or, at the very least, she has persuaded this High Pixie to trick us into going around in circles."

"Either way," Gouto continued, "we're heading to the Tsukigata Mansion. Unless you have any objections, Ms. Fancy Faerie?"

The High Pixie glanced from the stern cat, the girl with the gun, and the man with a lost look on his face. "…Fine, then," she resigned with a helpless sigh. "She didn't say you couldn't go. She just wanted to make you understand that it's dangerous. Please, just understand that about her…"

Before Gouto or Kotone could reply, the High Pixie disappeared. Gouto grunted in annoyance. "What was with that faerie? Was she really stalling us because she was worried?"

"The blue-eyed girl did seem very peculiar. And now there is an even greater possibility that she is a summoner."

Gouto shrugged. "Probably. No use pondering it now. We have places to be."

"What's happening _now_?" Narumi said, with a tone that might have made Kotone wondered if Gouto's irritability was contagious. He hated being out of the loop. At least he could understand things even in the hazy Fukorutsubo.

"Let's just go, boss," said Kotone, guiding him forward. Once they stepped out of the cluster of bushes and trees, they were in the clear. Below the cliff on which they stood was a basin with a mansion in the center.

"We're here, Raidou," said Narumi, waving at her hurriedly. "That's the Tsukigata Mansion. We finally made it to Dahn's old homestead."

"Does it call for a celebration, boss?" asked Kotone, checking for the amount of triumph on his face.

Narumi shook his head, however, and carried a grim expression. "…The Tsukigata clan is a family of assassins, right? And we're heading right into the heart of their base…"

Kotone didn't add how Gouto had mentioned that these assassins used _bugs_ to carry out their missions. It would only unnerve…people. "Don't worry, boss," she said, clutching the tubes on her chest. "You, Gouto, my demons, and I…we're a force to be reckoned with. Not even Sukuna-Hikona could deny that, and he was a deity."

"…Yeah," Narumi said after some thought. "Yeah, we thrashed that little god something fierce. But it's always good to stay on our toes."

"Right."

From above the basin, the Tsukigata Mansion seemed to be named aptly. Up close, Kotone thought it should have been called the Tsukigata Palace. The ramps at the façade led up into the main mansion, and from there one could reach the smaller buildings with little ponds and miniature parks in between. Raidou saw none of this, of course, but Dominion had never been one to lie, so the devil summoner took his descriptions to heart.

When Dominion returned to his tube, Kotone approached Narumi, who seemed to be locked in a staring contest with an almond-eyed servant standing outside the mansion (palace).

"Please leave, strangers," the servant spoke when Kotone was close enough to hear her. "This is the place closest to the heavens. What business have yew at Tsukigata Mansion, home to the chief of Tsukigata Village?"

"We are on a search for a young man named Dahn," Kotone explained. "We were hoping we might find clues as to his whereabouts here."

The almond-eyed servant looked away for just an instant, trying to hide the shocked expression that had taken over her features. And then she looked at them again, the unwelcome line on her mouth set back in its place. "Please leave."

"We're here from the Capital on business," Narumi repeated, taking out the photo Akane had supplied and showing it to the woman. "Looking for this fellow called Dahn, like Raidou said. A little bird told us that this is Dahn's home, so—"

"Ah don't know this _Dahn_ yer referrin' to," said the woman, turning the photo away after catching the slightest glimpse of it. "He's a stranger to me, ah'm afraid. Please leave."

Narumi backed off, as did his apprentice and her cat. When they were out of hearing range, he asked, "You catch that, Raidou?"

The detective's apprentice nodded. "She was shocked when we mentioned Dahn. She knows."

Narumi bit his lip in deep thought. "We've gotta provoke her into admitting she knows something, somehow…"

"I know just the thing," said Kotone, whipping a tube out from her chest. With a flash of green light only she and Gouto could see, Lilim hovered over them with an angry pout.

"I hate you, Kotone!"

"Now isn't the time, Lilim," said her devil summoner, waving dismissively again. "We need you to read that old woman's mind."

Lilim glared at her, crossed her arms, and turned her head with a great harrumph.

"All right," said Kotone, holding her hands up in defeat, and continued perfunctorily, "forgive me, Lilim, for returning you to your tube while you were speaking."

"For the umpteenth time!"

"For the umpteenth time."

Lilim narrowed her eyes at Kotone. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes."

"Promise not to do it again?"

Kotone stared at her skeptically. "Lilim, we have known each other since childhood. Given your penchant for chatting and my constant need to be on the alert, you know I can't promise you anything."

Lilim frowned again, but considered her friend's words and sighed. "Oh, all right, all right. This investigation is taking way too long, anyway. Here I go!"

Narumi felt that ear popping sensation again, but he wasn't taken by surprise this time, having heard Kotone's instructions before she had gone into some silly conversation with her demon. This time, the servant woman's voice was amplified in his head: "Th-That photo…! That's the photo they asked me to take… The picture of the young master… Ah thought ah gave it to the young mistress. Why…" the woman's thoughts were becoming frantic. "Why would these people have the photograph she was carrying?"

Narumi and Raidou met eyes, and then Kotone and Gouto. "There's no way she doesn't know Dahn," said Gouto. "This is it…!"

"Well, well," said Lilim, pretending to shine her nails with her right thumb, "looks like another job well do–"

"Much appreciated, Lilim," said Kotone, returning her to her tube. She approached the servant glaring at her as though hoping it would stop her in her tracks and cause her to spontaneously combust. "Ma'am," she said, "about the photo my boss tried to show you…"

It seemed to take the almond-eyed servant all her energy not to stomp her feet and thrash about. "Come now!" she nearly screamed, "Who do yew think yew are? Yer irritatin' me! I-If yew don't leave now…ah can't guarantee yer safety!"

Narumi stepped forward. "Whoa, whoa…our safety…? That's not very friendly… If Raidou said something rude, I apologize for the kid. What'd you say to her, Raidou…?"

"I was going to ask about the photo," Kotone whispered, leaning forward. She was beginning to think all the old women in this village were cranky and bitter. Then again, the teachers in her high school weren't very kind about her skipping school to save the Capital, either. "The one she took, boss."

Narumi pulled back and turned to the woman. "Doesn't sound like Raidou did anything wrong to me."

The old woman appeared a little guilty. Kotone wasn't surprised. It wasn't the first time her boss had managed to calm an older woman down with just his tone of voice. Gouto said it was actually because they found him attractive, but she didn't understand the concept of it. She found that Louis attractive, for example, but she certainly wouldn't bend to his will.

"Anyway, I'd kinda like to hear more about this photo myself…" Narumi took the photo out again. "You said you don't know the man, right? Yeah, I remember hearing that…so how do you square that with being the one who took this photo? It _was_ you who took it, right?"

"E-Er…No, uh…"

Kotone would applaud her boss if they had a larger audience. He had the old woman cornered. It didn't sound as glorious as it was, but it was a feat. Like she had thought earlier, the old women in this village were terrifying and rather rude, in her opinion.

"Maybe I should tell you?" Narumi said, with a tilt to the head that added to his excellent delivery, "The cat's out of the bag, I'm afraid."

Gouto smirked. "I am, you know."

The woman fumbled over herself for words. "I-I…I…!"

"What's all this racket…?" an elderly voice called out. It was aged, but stern. Not unlike Councilman Narita's, but this time with real authority.

A balding old man dressed in farmer's clothing came out of one of the bushes surrounding the mansion, his hands clasped behind his back; his old age clearly affected him, as evidenced by his slouch. Kotone wondered what he was doing in there, but was distracted by the old woman's gasp.

"Ch-Chief!"

The old man seemed not to hear the servant and instead cast his gaze on the grown man, the little girl dressed in boy's clothes, and the black cat that stared back at him inquisitively. Running a hand over his scalp, he remarked with perfect diction, "Ah…guests from the Capital. I apologize that you had to come so far, but…unfortunately, Dahn Tsukigata isn't here."

Narumi forced his head not to incline the way it did whenever he saw something to take note of, like the way the old man's eyes flashed when he mentioned Dahn's the name, or how his features seemed gentle but his eyes were full of distrust and hostility. "Sorry, Chief," he said, "but did I just hear you say Dahn _Tsukigata_?" he glanced at Raidou. "This really is Dahn's house."

"Yes. I wonder what he's doing so far away from home," replied Kotone.

The Chief watched their exchange with growing aggravation. "I think," he said, "it's best you went home while I'm still smiling. Those in this village who ignore what I, the chief of the Tsukigata clan, tell them… They must be dealt with. I'd hate to have to resort to rough stuff. No matter who that may be. Wouldn't you agree, Devil Summoner from the Capital?"

Scratch that, Kotone thought, choosing not to reply again. All the old people in this village were more hostile than the demons themselves. Narumi, too, was shocked, and allowed the Chief to finish.

"Our guests are leaving now." With a clap of his hands, two big, burly men came out of nowhere, like a pair of Orthruses ready to pounce.

Narumi wouldn't understand the reference if Kotone told him, but he got the message. "This isn't looking good. Let's cool it for now, Raidou."

After leaving the basin with the chief and his guards breathing down their necks, Narumi, Kotone and Gouto temporarily parted ways. Gouto decided to rest in the inn and mourn over the privacy of his notebook, Narumi decided to relax in the Shirahige Hot Springs right beside the inn, and Kotone decided to do a little more investigating.

It was a failure, of course. It was as if the villagers had all disappeared, even the two little girls playing outside earlier. Raidou wondered if there was some demon that plagued them at this certain hour, but she didn't sense or see any dangerous demons loitering outside the Tento Woods. The villagers had just barricaded themselves into their houses, like they just couldn't stand the presence of the ungodly outsiders anymore.

It was a little offensive, but Kotone didn't care much if it was true. She was accustomed to receiving odd looks in school, especially once after the Red Cape incident when Lilim had escaped her tube and followed her to school. It was total chaos, what with Lilim possessing teachers and teaching her classmates the art of seduction and Kotone seemed the only one the 'teachers' spoke with normally, but thankfully the demoness returned to her tube right before the school authorities called on the Kuzunoha clan for further investigation.

After an hour of searching the village for possible acquaintances (to no avail), Kotone decided to join her ancestor at the inn for a snack. Snack turned out to be early dinner when Narumi arrived, and after a healthy traditional Japanese meal, the three were stuffed. Raidou didn't remember much after that—Narumi said something about missing Miss Asakura, Gouto felt woozy, _she_ felt woozy, Narumi felt woozy, and Kotone thought of how foolish she was for accepting food from a village whose chief had just threatened their lives before her consciousness slipped away completely.

* * *

_"And do you see the way that maid looks at Nakamura?" Kaya asked, peering at her servants below from the second floor of the Daidouji mansion. "He looks at her the same way when she isn't looking. Don't you think it's sweet, Kotone?"_

_"I've seen my parents look at each other the same way," said Kotone. "It's love, yes? I suppose one could find it sweet…"_

_"How did your parents meet?"_

_"My parents…? They lived in neighboring villages. My father was training to be a Devil Summoner and my mother was training to be, well, a wife. There lived a rich young man in my mother's village who wanted my mother's hand, but apparently my mother had seen my father during his errand-running to buy food from their farm and was quite smitten. When the rich young man could not accept my mother's rejection, he pretended to agree to friendship and invited her family to his home. They accepted because he was rich, and he drugged them all and kidnapped my mother, saying he would never release her until her parents coerced her into marrying him."_

_Kaya gasped. The ending to the story stood right beside her, but she liked to pretend she was a normal, giddy schoolgirl who didn't know any better. It made her forget all about the Red Cape incident, but not _everything_, because then she and Kotone never would have met otherwise. "And what did your father do?"_

_"As it turns out, my father was smitten as well, which was all well and good for them, so as soon as he heard of the young man's treachery, he set upon the mansion she was held captive in and destroyed the young man."_

_"...Destroyed him?"_

_ "Oh, yes. He knocked the young man unconscious after a little beating, stripped him of his clothing, and tied him to a post for the two villages to see, until the young man's relatives claimed him and set him down. Naturally, they married and had me, their only daughter."_

_Kaya smiled. "That's very romantic."_

_"My mother says that, too," said Kotone. She had left out the part where her mother nearly died giving birth to her intentionally, knowing that would have turned the whole thing into something quite morbid._

_"You don't seem very interested at all," said Kaya, noting the nonchalance on her friend's face. "Thanks to you, my curse has been lifted and I can think of things like this freely. I can never thank you enough for that, Kotone. But I'm curious. I see romance in this story, but what do you…?"_

_Kotone gave Kaya a pleasant smile. No one had ever asked about her thoughts on such a matter before. "A lesson," she replied. "Don't accept a meal from someone when you know they've had intentions for you in the past."_

_Kaya blinked. "That…is very logical."_

_"Yes," Kotone nodded. "It is."_

It was foolish when her mother had fallen for it, and it was foolish now. Although it shamed Raidou to admit, her mother's case could still be forgiven. The young man had pretended to have no malignant intentions for her. The Tsukigata Village and its people, on the other hand, had openly expressed their hatred and their desire to purge the world of that Devil Summoner from the Capital and her boss and her cat and her friend that nosy woman with the purple bonnet, and yet she accepted the food they laid before her because she was hungry. Foolish, foolish, foolish. And now they were trapped in this dark wooden prison with sacks and dirt for companions with only a dim lamp to serve as light.

Narumi had been blinking in and out of sleep, the effects of the drugs those Tsukigata Village people had placed in their food (and most likely his tea) still taking a toll on him. When he saw Raidou awake, though, pinching the bridge of her nose in obvious irritation, his eyes snapped open.

"Hey, mornin'," he said. Raidou inclined her head and stood with an almost unnoticeable wobble. "They got us good…probably mixed some sleeping pills into the food. They knocked us out, then tossed us in the slammer…" He threw his gaze over to the brighter part of the prison where the dim lamp was positioned. Tae was sleeping on the sacks with Gouto beside her. "Tae must have been kidnapped somewhere too and tossed in along with us."

"We did enter the village with her," replied Kotone.

"Who would do this to us? And why?" asked Narumi, though Raidou thought it was rather obvious.

"Please…no more questions." That elderly voice. The Protector of the Capital really wasn't surprised. The chief of Tsukigata Village held a lamp that illuminated his tired features. Above the little light they had, Raidou could see every wrinkle on his face. She wondered if he did this to everyone who visited their seemingly quaint village.

"Chief," said Narumi, somewhat unsure of how to act. It ticked him off that he'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book, but he didn't want to sass the old man too much. He liked his head on his shoulders, still. "I knew you didn't think much of us ever since we met at the Tsukigata Mansion, but I didn't peg you as the type to go this far. Is this some kind of practical joke?" The chief narrowed his eyes at Narumi, who continued. "Is it really _that_ big a deal, us looking into this Dahn guy?"

The chief waited a while before he spoke, just to make sure Narumi wouldn't interrupt. "The villagers here hate dogs. We don't like the way you sniff and root around. Consider this your last warning. When I come back, I want your assurance that you'll forget about the Tsukigata. It would be in your best interests to do so."

Without waiting for a reply, the chief exited the way he came, not that they could see where the door was in the darkness.

"We only just got here and we're already in a pretty fix. But I guess we should count ourselves lucky the chief took pity on us," Narumi remarked.

Raidou frowned. It must have been the pride of the Kuzunoha clan, but she didn't like being pitied. She had heard all about how the reeds must bow to the strong winds, how the stubborn tree broke because it forced its own way, but this didn't have to be that sort of situation. And she was a Devil Summoner. All Nue needed to do was ram these wooden bars and they would be free. Granted, that would send most of the building crashing down, but it was better than waiting under a cranky old man's mercy.

It was a good thing Narumi had a different plan, however, because she was about to summon Nue and destroy the place all the same. Ever since that bright light had taken that thing – whatever it was – away from her, she felt more reckless, more like she had to get her own way. Or it could have been all the head trauma that accumulated from walking into doors and slipping on everything.

"Also lucky that this lock pick's a simple padlock. Should be easy enough for me to bust open," said Narumi, pulling something shiny out of his hair. It was a piece of wire. Highly unhygienic, but very effective. Raidou appreciated the presence of her boss even more as he unlocked the door with relative ease. "Hah. Knew I still had it in me. In a way, it's lucky we got tossed in here alongside Tae, too…"

"How was that lucky, boss?" Kotone asked, but Tae's sudden groans interrupted their conversation.

"N-No…" she cried out. "Too many…bugs…"

Raidou shook her head compassionately. She had experienced that nightmare before.

Narumi collected Tae, who instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, while Kotone shook Gouto awake and explained the circumstances. The very first Raidou Kuzunoha was extremely disappointed in himself and dismissed his protégée's apologies, finding too much fault in himself and his trivial sulkiness about his notebook to blame her.

"If you're done," Narumi called from the prison door, "there's no need to leave ourselves sitting ducks for the chief to get back. Let's ditch this place."

"Escaping is a very good idea, boss, but wouldn't they try to capture us in the village again when we go to collect our belongings?"

Narumi shrugged. "I don't imagine that chief'll be too thrilled, but we did come all the way from the Capital. There's no way we're going to up and abandon Ms. Akane's assignment to find Dahn now. And couldn't your demon friends just snatch them up for us?"

"Good idea, boss." Kotone picked up the dim lamp and led the way to the door. It was locked, too, so there was a bit of switching to be done with Raidou carrying Tae instead and Narumi picking locks and thinking of teaching Kotone what he learned in the military and switching back, but they escaped eventually.

The only problem was, as soon as they stepped out of the prison, those already conscious lost their consciousness again.

Kotone resisted the temptation to remove her shoe and throw it at the butterfly wing of a wall before her when she woke again. "The Fukorutsubo," she said with a slight groan. Forcing herself to stand, she glanced around and saw the others scattered about. She hoped to Yatagarasu that there wasn't going to be another bug waiting at the end of this tunnel.

"Yew fell for it…just like the chief said," said an unfamiliar voice behind her. Standing against the wall that her shoe should have broken was a grey-masked Fukoshi. And not just his mask; his entire ensemble was grey, almost white, a bright contrast against the black of those assassins in Mannen-Cho. "There's no escape once yew've been marked by the Fukoshi of Tsukigata Village!"

As in the Fukorutsubo she had reached through Mannen-Cho, this Fukorutsubo also had two Fukoshi assassins, only in grey. Raidou couldn't really tell the difference between their accents, however. They were all the same to her, opponents she needed to defeat to return to her real mission. She had to take care not to have that _thing_ come out of her again, however. Her recklessness was beginning to cause her pain.

The second grey-masked Fukoshi who hadn't spoken drew his sword. Raidou Kuzunoha never backed down from a challenge, so Kotone unsheathed hers as well. And then the Fukoshi spoke, "Yer that devil summerner from the Capital, right…? We've heard a lot about yew. Yew met some Fukoshi in the Capital too, didn't yew? They were masks like ours, remember? Though they were a different color…"

"I noticed."

The Fukoshi nodded. "Yew came here because of what those Fukoshi were up to in the Capital, right?"

"That wasn't the primary reason, but—"

"Meaning…yer here to punish us?"

"No," said Kotone, though she wouldn't mind them getting out of the way for a bit so she could wake her friends and escape. "We are here on a missing persons case."

"Interesting…" said the first grey-masked Fukoshi, "Seems the infamous devil summerner is more understanding than we figured. What happened in the Capital really wasn't our idea, y'know… Lord Dahn, our young leader, was acting on his own against the Chief's wishes. He attracted a group of the younger Fukoshi to his cause and took the luck locusts to the Capital." The Fukoshi seemed to consider this a cause for panic. "Those luck locusts are forbidden…to bring 'em into the Capital…!"

"Luck locusts…?"

Kotone turned around. "Gouto, you're awake."

"So am I," said Narumi, raising his hand and rubbing his head. Putting his hat back on, he sighed. "Fukorutsubo again, huh? And it looks like Tae's still out like a light…"

"Come on, boss, Gouto," said Raidou, hoping that perhaps their short conversation had changed the minds of the assassins before them. "We're going to leave soon. With Miss Asakura."

"Actually…no," said the grey-masked Fukoshi, and Kotone began to think of how she would shoot him and behead his partner at the same time. "Unfortunately, yer gonna have to disappear now. Yew might have beaten Lord Dahn's neophyte's in the Capital, but we're not gonna be that easy. Yer about to see the 8th Fukoshi clan in all its glory, devil summerner… Ah'm not as lenient as our young leader or his followers… We'll send yew on a swim in the River Styx with yer kitty-cat and friends!"

"Whoa," said Narumi, having just picked Tae up again, "I thought we were having a nice little conversation here…?"

"Kotone," Gouto ran to his descendant, clawing at her pant leg in a panic. "These guys are serious! They aim to kill you!"

"I understand," said Kotone, bending into her battle stance. "This should be quick."

"Smug little girl," one of the Fukoshi snorted. "This is what yew get fer sniffin' around the Tsukigata! The penalty is death!"

A sweet scent filled the air. Kotone breathed in and tried not to let a dazed smile reach her lips. It was familiar, yet a fragrance unlike anything she had ever inhaled…

"Kotone!" Gouto shouted, seemingly far away. "You should know this scent. It's…It's one of the first poisons the Kuzunoha clan trains you against!"

"Ah," Raidou mumbled, forcing herself to keep her ready stance. The smell made her want to lie down and rest forever. "They must have improved on it…the effects are so much stronger…"

Gouto stumbled backwards and fell on his kitty rump. "Y…you're right…"

The Fukoshi laughed. He was alone now; or had there only ever been one of him? "Yew smell that sweet smell? Ah scattered some numbin' poison in the Tento Woods. Once yew smell that, yer goose is cooked. Yew won't be able to control yer body none. Just give up and let us kill yew, Devil Summerner."

It was tempting to nod off and just rest, but from the corner of her eye Raidou could see Narumi doing his best to stay on his feet and keep Tae from falling from his arms. The scent proved too strong, however, and Narumi fell to his knees and set a still unconscious Tae down before attempting to fight against the effects of the poison himself.

"No," said Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, hardening her grip on her blade. "The Capital needs my protection."

The Fukoshi shook his head in disappointment. "It's yer funeral. Well now…I'll leave yew a boat to get across the Sanzu River with." He put his gloved fingers to his lips and let out a familiar ear-piercing whistle. "Come, Jiromaru!"

Again, there was a loud screeching as one of the pores falling from the webbed sky expanded and grew brighter as each second passed, until right before Kotone there was a grasshopper twice or thrice the size of their prison and it was roaring right in her face.

Raidou gingerly wiped off the saliva that had splattered on her face with her sleeve, resisting the childish urge to _cry_. She hated bugs so much. Especially ones named Jiromaru.

"Not again…" she muttered, her head still spinning. With a swing of its steel arm, Jiromaru sent Kotone flying across the Fukorutsubo and into one of the butterfly wings. She needed something to wake her up. The poison was so powerful…

Tae had just the thing.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Kotone jolted upright, suddenly forgetting about her aching back. "Miss Asakura?" To her left, Tae had finally awoken. Unfortunately, at the hideous sight of Jiromaru, all she could do was shriek, and then she fainted again. Understandable.

Raidou stood and reached for a tube. "Pyro Jack!"

"Hee-ho!" said the little demon, swinging its lantern about. "This hee-bug again, Ko-ho-ne? I ho-thought you hated bugs, hee!"

"I do," Kotone replied, struggling to speak without a slur, "but you…don't, do you, Pyro Jack? …I don't believe this is the same Jiromaru who…who cried and ran away from us, but it may have the same…weakness. Set it on fire for me…would you, please?"

"My plee-heasure, Ko-ho-ne!" Pyro Jack grinned. He flew around Jiromaru, irritating the bug to the point that it tried to swat him away like a fly (ironic, Narumi thought with the energy he had left as he crawled over to Tae), but before it could reach him, the demon inhaled deeply, put his lantern to his face, and blew as hard as he could.

Jiromaru screeched and covered its head with its steel arms, giving Raidou the chance to attack, but as soon as she raised her sword against the bug, the sweet scent in the air intensified and she froze.

"Ko-ho-ne?" Pyro Jack whizzed around her curiously. "What's hee-happening, Ko-ho-ne?"

"I…I can't move," said Raidou, straining to even speak. "Jack, return…return to your tube."

"But Ko-ho-ne—"

"Be obedient now…Jack," Kotone ordered, and with a reluctant squeak, Pyro Jack returned to his tube.

"Raidou!" Narumi called out, frozen in his spot as well, "What is this…?"

"I don't…"

Kotone could only widen her eyes as Jiromaru uncovered its head and flew into the air. She forced her body to move, at least to the side where the impact would be lessened, but she was truly frozen to her spot. Jiromaru swooped down and kicked her with one of its hind arms, crushing her beneath its slimy body. She could barely breathe, and Jiromaru bobbed its antennae together at her, its face opening and its pincers snapping like jaws…

Gouto and Narumi shook their heads, and that was as far as they were able to move.

"Raidou!"

"Kotone!"

* * *

Light. Like a sudden camera flash. Flash, flash flash… Like a thousand camera flashes.

Kotone felt the hard ground under her cap, back, and knees. This felt familiar. Only now she could feel her cape under her hand. Her throat was still dry, however.

The flashes subsided, leaving the sound of noisy crickets in their wake. Somehow she knew that that would subside, too, though a high-pitched _yee_ would stay stuck in her skull. This time she couldn't ignore it and stayed on the ground.

She didn't need to look up from her position on the ground to know she was in that world with the soundless, blazing storm again with the swirls on the ground and the spheres with the eyes in the sky, but she did anyway. She had had this feeling it was that place even before she opened her eyes. It reminded her of when she had handled her first sword, and the hilt seemed foreign, at first…but the next time she held it in her eight-year old hands, it seemed to just fit. Not perfectly, and the angles of her hand and fingers were still wrong in some ways, but it fit.

Raidou had a strange feeling this was going to become a routine.

When she accepted this, the noise in her skull softened. Kotone stood and saw the air beneath her feet ripple like waves, leading to something further out, further…behind her. There was that presence again, and again her sword sheath and holster were empty.

It wasn't her anymore. The presence, she meant. It was a man with long, white hair, a black overcoat, white trousers, and black boots. The presence appeared to be different, but when she sensed it it was still the same…thing. Whatever it or she or he was. And it still wore the mask. That mask – it registered in the back of Raidou's mind, because at the moment all this place would allow her to think of was the figure before her – it was that watermelon mask the people of a village treasured greatly.

The world pulsated like the last beats of a dying heart when the man began to speak. He was old, judging by his voice, but still strong. "You who play the role of _Raidou_ and witness this spectacle…" he started, "Worry not. This is the first time you have met me in this form, but in the process, I have met you twice. You will witness the mask I wear worshiped as an incarnation of myself…and soon after, you will have the good fortune to meet with a trustworthy compatriot."

Kotone could only nod as the old man paused. His shoulders slumped, but so little that she had barely seen it. "It seems that in theory," he continued, "the day of misfortune cannot be avoided. If you have witnessed this spectacle, the theory is bound to be proven. However, someday you will go through the process of being a living witness along with the others. There will come a day when this world is overcome by misfortune. You will bear witness to this."

Raidou frowned. The presence was at it again, and speaking of misfortune…

"It is an ironic theory," said the man, "but casting people down into the abyss…even the day of misfortune itself…is an action born of hope. I ask that you not despair at the difficult contradiction espoused in this theory. Think of this mask's 'sorrowful' face as the combined feelings of the people. Your determination to be _Raidou_ is already a beacon of hope. Your actions are hope…Kotone."

The storm blazed on. A flash of white, and then black again.

* * *

Kotone felt dizzy to the point of desiring to vomit, but she held back. On one hand, her throat was no longer dry. On the other, her face was moist and there was a great rumbling noise in the background that disturbed her greatly.

"OH! SUMMONER AWAKE NOW!"

Raidou groaned and realized that the reason why her face was so moist and why there was a rumbling sound was because Nue was licking it repeatedly, and because the poor beast was crying. It touched her, though it did seem somewhat ridiculous. Did monkeys even lick their own kind? The demon really was starting to become her own pet dog. But never mind that; how had he gotten out of his tube?

"Nue…" she managed to speak, and pushed the chimera off her. "How did you get out of your tube?"

"OUR FRIENDS HELP. I SAY I CHECK KOTONE'S CONDITION FOR US. SHEER FORCE OF WILL!"

Ah, sheer force of will. Lilim had done that before, but she never expected Nue to be able to come up with it himself. "All right," she said, wiping her face with her cape, "thank you, Nue."

The events in the world with the blazing storm and the Fukorutsubo muddled her thoughts and threw her equilibrium off, but with Nue's help she was able to stand. Before her was Narumi, now carrying Tae, and Gouto at his feet. They were back at the entrance of the Tento Woods, beside that supplies house which she now realized was their prison not too long ago.

Narumi and Gouto were watching something before them. She moved to the right to see and caught sight of the two grey-masked Fukoshi she had seen earlier (so there _were _two of them) dismissing that evil bug Jiromaru, who seemed to sneer at her and snap its pincers again when it saw her awake. Her companions noticed this and whirled.

"Where have you been?" Narumi asked, giving her a quick glance to check for wounds.

"You disappeared right before Jiromaru could crush you completely," said Gouto. "You woke her, Nue?"

"I WAKE HER, KITTY, YES!"

"I…I was where I was before." Upon receiving even more confused looks from her two caretakers, Kotone gave a slight wave. "I will explain another time. What happened?"

"That old man over there," said Narumi, pointing ahead, "he—"

"Yer one lucky skunk, little miss Devil Summerner," said one of the grey-masked Fukoshi, approaching her. After tilting his head curiously at Nue, he waved his arm. Raidou's vision blurred again, and then the Fukoshi disappeared before Nue could snarl at them.

"I'm still confused," said Kotone, the pain from being crushed under a gigantic bug catching up with her body, until she heard the _chrl-thopp_ of boots against the ground and looked up to see long white hair, a black overcoat, white trousers, and black boots. She recognized him as the man from that world with the blazing storm, but without the mask. He really was old. Now, what had that presence said about meeting a compatriot…?

Raidou wasn't given the chance to remember, because the old man began to speak, appraising her from behind his words. "I heard there'd been a commotion at the Tento Woods this morning, so I came to see. They told me you'd be coming: a black-caped student, come to stand against the Fukoshi. You are…the renowned Raidou Kuzunoha?"

"I am, indeed," answered Kotone, giving a sort of uneven bow. Her stomach hurt especially. Truly a devoted pet, Nue noticed her flinch ever so slightly and nuzzled his soft head against where it hurt.

"…The Fukorutsubo spell is broken," said the old man, eyeing Nue. Raidou could tell he was the real person and not that presence in that odd world. "You needn't worry anymore."

Kotone nodded, but she still felt better with Nue around and kept her hand on his head.

"Raidou," said Narumi, mistaking her hand on Nue's invisible head as her preparing to reach for her revolver, "this man saved me and Tae. He even talked to the Fukoshi for us…he's not the enemy."

"I know, boss," said Kotone, looking back at the man. Was he a Devil Summoner? He could see Nue, but then so could the Fukoshi. "Thank you, sir."

When the old man inclined his head in acknowledgement, the blue-eyed girl appeared, still twirling a strand of her chest-length, ebony hair.

"Hey," Narumi said upon seeing her, "you're the girl we saw earlier."

"This was within the bounds of my conjecture," said the girl, "Although…well, I apologize for sounding rude, but you seem rather less impressive than the rumors preceding you. Are you really the Capital's summoner?"

"RAIDOU GREAT SUMMONER. RAIDOU GREATEST SUMMONER. YOU DOUBT RAIDOU? FOOLISH GIRL!" Nue roared, snapping his teeth at her. His eyes narrowed to angry slits and his snake tail hissed angrily.

"Now, now, Nue," said Kotone, rubbing his head and giving him a little _shush_. "It isn't wrong to express one's opinion." An opinion, clearly, that was misguided to the point of being wrong. And it seemed that everyone in this village was rude, though the white-haired old man seemed to be an exception. Raidou met the girl's eyes again. "However, I suggest you attempt fighting a Jiromaru after inhaling ounces of numbing poison before forming your next opinion."

Having taken a tiny step backward at Nue's enraged outcry, the girl regained her composure and her icy eyes returned to their normal size. "Very well."

Narumi glanced between the girl, Raidou, and the space she was patting with her hand. Nue, she had said. That was the beast, right? He wondered what it had said; the blue-eyed girl had seemed surprised, while the old man was fairly amused, judging by the smirk on his lips. The detective cleared his throat. "I see you've already heard of Raidou here…but how?"

The old man adjusted his collar. Narumi did think it was a bit too tight. "My name is Geirin Kuzunoha," he said. "I am one of the Four Great Summoners."

"One of the four…" Narumi nodded. "You're a Devil Summoner too?"

"I am, yes. Geirin Kuzunoha the 17th, to be precise."

"Geirin Kuzunoha the 17th…" Gouto repeated. "The highly skilled Summoner who underwent advanced training in America – I've heard of you. So you're that Geirin."

"I am Nagi," said the blue-eyed girl. "I would be honored if you would remember my name alongside my Master's."

"Now then," Geirin spoke immediately after his pupil finished. "I know you may still be somewhat drowsy, but I have some questions for Raidou. Foremost among them being, why is the Capital's protector out here in Tsukigata Village? I would like to know what process brought you here…"

Kotone wondered what stance she should take with Geirin. Age demanded respect, obviously, but they were equals as two of the Four Great Summoners. He could demand nothing of her, and neither could she of him. "As I explained to those Fukoshi earlier, we are on a missing persons case. A lady by the name of Akane Narita hired us to find Dahn, whom we have come to believe, through our investigations, is the son of the chief of the Tsukigata Village. Although," she turned to Narumi, "I'm beginning to understand why the servants may be inclined to deny Dahn's existence, boss. The grey-masked Fukoshi mentioned that 'Lord' Dahn went against the Chief's wishes."

"Ah," Narumi said, shifting Tae's weight to his other arm, "Dishonor and all that. I get it."

Geirin cleared his throat, reminding the Narumi Detective Agency of his presence. "You were hired by this Akane, and the process of your investigation has led you to Tsukigata Mansion. What a strange theory…it connects the Capital to Tsukigata Village." The white-haired summoner nodded. "I see…Nagi."

"Your request is already within the bounds of my conjecture," said Nagi, who approached Narumi. "I will tend to the fainted woman."

Narumi held on to 'the fainted woman' protectively. "Her name is Tae."

"An excellent conjecture, Nagi," said Geirin. "The Fukuroku Inn should suffice."

Nagi reached out for Tae. Narumi took a step back. "Uh…no..."

Gouto rolled his eyes. "Tell him to give the dame up. I think we can trust a Great Summoner like us."

Kotone tilted her head in Narumi's direction, though she kept her eyes on Gouto. "Boss, Nagi will take care of Miss Asakura. Like you said, these people aren't the enemy. To assure you of her safety… Nue will accompany them, won't you, Nue?"

"OKAY."

"Here." Narumi willingly passed Tae on to Kotone, but nearly jumped when the devil summoner passed his friend into an empty space. It was an empty space that turned out to be a demon's arms, however, and though the sight of Tae floating around in the air unnerved Narumi, it was better than having a complete stranger carry her.

"Be polite, Nue," Kotone said to the beast. "And make sure no harm comes to Miss Asakura."

"NUE KNOWS MANNERS. NO HARM WILL COME TO SLEEPING LADY."

There was some offense to be taken from a man preferring his woman in the care of a demon he couldn't even see to hers, but Nagi didn't take it as much as she could have. Neither of them knew it, but like the teenager before her, she was accustomed to ostracism and cared not for the strange stares and mistrust of others. Before leaving with Nue and the fainted woman, Tae, she said to Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, "My master Geirin is here, so you can safely return to the Capital. In theory, it isn't proper to have two Great Summoners in one region."

Gouto noticed Geirin's already pallid features flush just a little more. "Nagi," he said, more sternly than before, "there is a time to speak and a time to act. Which are you, theoretically, supposed to be doing right now?"

Nagi's shoulders slumped immediately. "M-My apologies," she said, bowing to her Master. "Uhm…please forgive me. I will take the lady and the demon to Fukuroku Inn at once."

Nue's red eyes stretched into lines. He stifled his snicker, remembering his summoner's order to be polite, but his snake tail couldn't help but hiss in amusement as he followed the pale girl out of the Woods.

Geirin turned to the three left in his company. "You will forgive my pupil. I have not curbed her habit of speaking out of turn."

"Oh, we understand. Teenage girls and all that," said Narumi, thinking back on the times that Kotone talked back to him. He didn't actually mind it all that much; at least he knew she was using her brain. Gouto's comments, on the other hand… He would have asked if his statement made him sound old, but this Geirin didn't seem like the type of person who laughed. Or even smiled.

"Yes," said Geirin humorlessly, true to Narumi's suspicions. "Now, please come with me. I will arrange a meeting with the head of the Tsukigata family."

* * *

Kotone still hadn't changed her mind about the Tsukigata Mansion. It really should have been called a palace. Now that they were allowed entry inside, she could see that everything was as Dominion had described, although she'd only caught a glimpse of the little gardens and ponds on their way to the Chief's office. The room was small compared to the rest of the estate, but even then the rare scent of ripe nashi pears spread around the place gave it a grand feel.

"…So that is the process, Akijiro," said Geirin, who had brought them to the chief to explain their peaceful intentions. "I believe that my fellow Devil Summoner's wishes, in theory, should be met."

Akijiro Tsukigata, the chief, ran another hand over his bald head. "This…is all rather serious to deal with in the morning. You came at an unlucky time…"

Narumi thought waking up after being drugged and imprisoned wasn't something he liked to deal with in the morning, but he'd had to anyway. And he kept that thought to himself.

Akijiro continued. "Under normal circumstances, as elder of Tsukigata Village and chief of the 8th Fukoshi clan, I would never acknowledge the disgrace of a fellow Fukoshi, even should the world turn upside down. But with Geirin here, head bowed…how can I refuse such a request?"

To Narumi and Kotone, he said, "You're lucky to know our Geirin, guests from the Capital, and that's the truth. Now then. Narumi, was it? I can guess at what brought you here." He took out the photo that Narumi had presented at the start of Geirin's explanation. "The girl who hired you to find this man. Her name was Akane, yes?"

Narumi crossed his arms. "Huh. Pretty sure none of us told you that, Chief. How'd you know?"

By the sad expression on his face and the way his wrinkles creased deeper, Gouto knew Akijiro had just withheld a sigh. "When I heard a detective from the Capital had come here, I knew it could mean nothing good, but…That Akane…doing this without my permission…"

"So, sir, you do know Miss Akane Narita," said Kotone, leaning on the table in a more than unladylike manner. Narumi wondered if Geirin expected him to scold Raidou for speaking out of turn in an adults' conversation, but Raidou was free to express her thoughts so long as they helped the investigation, in his opinion. And Geirin had seemed to consider her as part of the adults earlier, as opposed to Nagi.

Akijiro didn't seem to mind her speaking, either. "_Narita_…? Don't buy into that nonsense," the chief scoffed. "She's my daughter, make no mistake. The pure blood of a Tsukigata runs through her veins… Do I know Akane Tsukigata? As well as I'd know any woman who grew up in my household."

Narumi repeated that in his head. "Akane…Tsukigata?"

"That explains the chaotic curls," said Kotone, and explained further upon receiving curious glances. "Dahn and Miss Akane…they have the same hair. I had wondered if it was coincidence."

"Yes…Dahn." Akijiro finally released his sigh. "Just like Akane, he hails from this household. My good-for-nothing son… They are siblings, yes. Blood relations. The Dahn you're looking for…he's Akane's older brother."

"Well, now, that's a shocker." Narumi met eyes with Gouto and Kotone, checking if they were as surprised as he was. In retrospect, it should have been obvious – young mistress and young master? How could that have gotten by him? "Dahn and Akane, both Tsukigatas, and brother and sister to boot… This looks like the tip of one big iceberg. You still with us, Raidou?"

"Of course, boss."

Having been prowling around during Geirin's explanation, Gouto jumped into Kotone's arms. "What this all boils down to is that Akane hired us to find her brother. But to think a dame as calm and gentle as she seemed… How could she be a daughter of the Tsukigata clan? How could she have an assassin's blood…?"

Narumi and Akijiro exchanged clueless glances, though the chief didn't seem as interested to hear what the cat had to say. The former asked, "Care to share, Raidou?"

"Gouto was expressing his shock about how delicate Miss Akane could have hailed from a clan of assassins."

"Hmm." Geirin nodded in agreement. "In theory, it would seem…outrageous."

"Right," said Narumi. "If you wouldn't mind, Akijiro…why would Akane give us a phony name?"

Akijiro hesitated. "There is…a reason why Akane had to remain outside of Tsukigata Village and hide her identity for now. It's the same reason I can't keep Akane where I can see her. She's staying with a relative right now – a Mr. Narita, in the Capital. You see, if Dahn finds Akane, he'll probably try to shelter her…"

"Shelter her?" Narumi quirked a brow. "From what?"

The chief looked like he would rather fasten his lips together than speak any further, but he answered anyway. "What Dahn wants to do is to stop Akane's Marriage Ritual."

"Miss Akane is getting married?" asked Kotone.

"Well, that's good, right?" Narumi added, "I don't quite get what all this 'sheltering' malarkey is about. Is there some sort of problem with the arrangements? For instance, maybe Dahn's not too keen on his sister's fiancé?"

Raidou would have offered to fasten the chief's lips together out of pity. The very thought of this entire ordeal seemed to destroy his spirits. She didn't, however, when she remembered his orders to kill _her_ just that morning, even if it was for the safety of his clan.

"Pardon me," said a tiny voice by the door, behind Geirin. It was Nagi. Kotone never realized how small her voice actually was until Geirin had scolded her. Before that she appeared so knowledgeable that her voice seemed trivial. When her Master acknowledged her, she continued, "The process of escorting the woman to the Fukuroku Inn is complete. I've returned, Master. But enough of that…I heard a theory that caught my attention, so I wished to join the conversation." She brushed her hair thoughtfully. "A question for you, Lord Akijiro… On my way here, I undertook the process of asking the villagers about the luck locusts. My understanding is that…Dahn stole them?"

Akijiro had been ignoring Nagi's presence until that very moment.

Encouraged by the chief's attention, she added, "I hesitate to bring my own feelings into the process of a brother unhappy with his sister's engagement, but… it seems to me that taking the luck locusts is, in theory, overdoing it a bit. Is my conjecture correct? Please answer me, Lord Akijiro…"

Akijiro was at a loss. "That's…!"

Without looking at his pupil, Geirin frowned. "That theory was uncalled for, Nagi. I would prefer that you wait outside."

Finally, some color painted Nagi's face. It was a rather charming shade of pink, and Kotone could almost feel the frustration she refrained from expressing. She had gone through that stage as a little girl, when she thought she was good enough to become the next Raidou Kuzunoha just because she had become friends with Lilim and was frustrated because her father would not give her the title even in his older age. That had all ended when her father…when she began training to earn the title, of course.

"Master," said Nagi, clenching her fists, "You shut me out, but you let Raidou stay?"

Geirin's white eyebrows furrowed. "Nagi," he repeated with a tone meant to reprimand, "Wait outside. I will not tell you again."

Nagi felt the heat of her irritation slip away as the chill of embarrassment caused her a slight shiver. "I'm sorry," she said, avoiding the eyes of the others in the room, and hastily exited.

Geirin shook his head. "I'd prefer if you could overlook my pupil's insolence. My apologies. Do resume the process."

There was an awkward pause that Kotone decided to break. "If what Nagi said is true…there must be a reason why Dahn would go to such lengths – though I don't understand them myself – to prevent his sister's wedding. Is there?"

"My piece on this is… so I understand there's a problem at the Tsukigata household about Akane's engagement. What Nagi said aside," said Narumi, "isn't that something to be settled between your family and the groom's? No need to shelter Akane at the Capital. She and Dahn are family; they can work it out."

Akijiro shook his head. "The Marriage Ritual shouldn't be taken lightly. Failing to complete it is unthinkable. Akane's marriage is not a simple wedding. It is a sacred ritual; a blood pact with our god."

Raidou found a grimace creeping into her usually unaffected countenance. A god…she imagined Sukuna-Hikona, that little monster shrieking out of General Munakata's mouth, getting married to delicate, beautiful Akane. If Akane were her sister, she would probably do all she could to stop such a disgusting thing, too. Kotone shook her head. Sympathizing with the supposed enemy was never a good idea. There must have been a reason, too, as to why Akane was agreeing to avoid Dahn and go through with the ritual.

"A blood pact with a god…?" Narumi repeated, imagining something like what was in Kotone's mind. "And Dahn's trying to get in the way of that, you say?"

Gouto purred slightly, catching his protégée's attention. "If Dahn's a Tsukigata, he oughtta know how important this Marriage Ritual apparently is to the clan. So what's the big idea with trying to stop it? Maybe this Marriage Ritual is the key we need to find Dahn…"

"What?" Narumi asked.

"Nothing, boss," Kotone answered, earning her a little scratch from Gouto.

"By the way," said Akijiro, "Narumi mentioned that you've had a stroke of bad luck. Raidou, when you fought the Fukoshi, did you feel as if something was taken from you?"

"Not necessarily that something was taken, sir," the devil summoner replied, "I remember a bright light coming to me, and when it left, I felt…naked and empty. But only for a moment. Soon after, I started walking into doors and tripping over flat surfaces…"

Narumi stifled a chuckle. That earned him a scratch from Gouto, too.

Akijiro nodded and held up the red cage many of the Fukoshi carried. "That 'light' entered this box, didn't it? This insect cage with the Tento Crest is what we Fukoshi use to store the luck locusts. The sensation you've described…is what happens to the victims of our luck locusts, who have eaten your fortune."

"What _are_ these luck locusts you keep mentioning, exactly?" asked Narumi.

"The luck locusts are a forbidden tool of the 8th Fukoshi Clan: insects that eat a person's luck. If you haven't noticed yet, once your luck is eaten, you have nothing to look forward to but bad luck. Those whose fortunes are eaten by the luck locusts either die by some unfortunate accident…or their despair over their increasing misfortune eventually drives them to suicide."

Kotone frowned.

"Our use of the luck locusts guaranteed a certain kill, but due to an accident long ago, we vowed never to take them out again," said Akijiro, before pinching his nose bridge in frustration. "And then my rotten excuse for a son…he…!"

Narumi snapped his fingers. "It's starting to come together. Dahn took those luck locusts out of Tsukigata village. That's where those scraps of the cage you found in Mannen-Cho came from, Raidou. They held the locusts…which means...the 8th Fukoshi clan's forbidden insects are now loose in the Capital."

"Not only has Dahn broken the covenant, he intends to stop the Marriage Ritual…" Akijiro added. "He's no better than a common traitor now. As a Tsukigata, it is my duty to bring him in. Which is why I'll swallow my pride and ask you, a Devil Summoner…but first, I apologize for the way we wronged you in front of the mansion and at the prison cell. And now I ask that if you find Dahn, I want you to bring him here. Will you agree to this?"

Kotone's eyes narrowed. "I accept your apology, sir, but…" Raidou had her own issues to discuss with Dahn. Her fortune, for instance. He was going to return it to her. And it was under his orders that his men had caused her all this bad luck; her clan didn't believe in revenge, but she believed a little retribution was in store for him.

Narumi leaned in closer to Raidou before she could finish and shook his head. "You know I feel the same way, but let's prove to these fellows that we can be reasonable guys, 'kay? I'll make it up to you later. Come on."

Kotone refrained from sighing and gave a cordial upturn of the lips. "Very well, sir. If he has intentionally harmed those I'm oathsworn to protect, after all, he is under my jurisdiction. And who better to punish him than his own father?"

That set an uncomfortable expression on Akijiro's face, which was what Raidou had been aiming for, but the old man seemed grateful anyway. "Thank you. Please take this," he said, sliding an insect cage and a jar across the table. "Think of it as us pledging our allegiance. You can capture luck locusts to counter the effects of your misfortune using the birdlime in the jar. The locusts you capture will share their good fortune with you."

"Their stolen fortune," Raidou muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sir," said Kotone, looking back up with feigned indebtedness. "And thank you. Luck locusts…they're a smaller version of a golden Jiromaru, aren't they? With masks that break in half sideways?"

Akijiro nodded. "How did you…?"

"That was what Gouto saw on your shoulder that day you spilled butter on your slacks, boss," Raidou said to Narumi. "He scared the luck locust away before it could bite you."

"I owe Gouto my thanks, then," said Narumi, giving Gouto a crooked grin. The butter still hadn't completely disappeared from those slacks, though…

"He could thank me himself, you know," said Gouto, smirking, but jumped on the table and inspected the insect cage. "So, Kotone…adopting the methods of the 8th Fukoshi clan, eh? Heheh…this should even the odds."

"Anyway," Narumi continued, turning to Akijiro, "we've been here a dog's age…so I think it's time we get going. You've been a real help. Now we know Dahn's target is Akane back at the Capital. And that he's the one who brought those bad-news locusts there. Raidou and I are gonna get back home to check up on things."

Akijiro nodded before glaring at the table. "Dahn was our best Fukoshi…and he's armed himself with those damned luck locusts. Be careful, Raidou. Just in case."

Kotone stood and bowed. "Thank you for your warning, Chief Akijiro."

Narumi rose, too, and bowed to Geirin. "Thanks for all your help too, Geirin. Give your pupil our regards, won't you?"

"Of course, Mr. Narumi," said Geirin, respecting that Gouto and this man were the mentors to the young girl before him, a Great Summoner though she was. To her, he said, "Raidou…I am, in theory, the protector of Tsukigata Village. You may devote yourself to the process of watching over the Capital with no worries."

"Thank you, Geirin. With your presence here, I can rest easy."

"All right, that's our cue to head out, Raidou. Let's pack our bags and head home," said Narumi, and with final goodbyes for the time being, the Narumi Detective Agency made their exit. As soon as they were out of hearing range, Narumi gave his apprentice a sly grin. "You're quite the smooth talker when you wanna be, huh, Raidou?"

* * *

Y'know who's a smooth talker? Louis. Nobody convinces a wild and dreamy curly-haired assassin prince to destroy the world for his beloved sister like Louis.

Also, in case anyone was curious (though I doubt it HAHAHA), the song that kept me going for these updates was **Oh No!** by **Marina & the Diamonds.** I think the song really fits Kotone (except the TV part, haha! That could probably be replaced by INTENSE CLAN TRAININGGG).

Can't wait for the next chapter! I really love swimming close to the limitations of writing a fem!Raidou. The task of having to keep her calm like an true SMT heroine and giving her a personality and normal teenage hormones (finding the opposite sex attractive, for example, but not really finding the need to act on it) at the same time is really fun. SOMEONE MAKE MORE RAIDOU FICS. I already have another one in mind, actually, haha! Only this involves an actual male Raidou the 14th, but with a girl you barely spare a passing glance in the game (the one who went to the Capital to seek her 'true love' or whatever). Still thinking of how she'd be involved with the Narumi Detective Agency's business, but if someone wants to pick that brain fart of mine up and write something, PM me! I'd love to hear your thoughts. XD

Next chapter quote sneak peek time!

_"Oh, your journalist friend was very accommodating."_

REVIEW!


	6. Shall We Talk With Our Fists?

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Review-replying time! (Sorry this took so long:( )

**Loyalty**: YEAHHHHH. Playing the game, I could really imagine Binbou-gami as a real person/Fiend/thing that smelled bad and was just weird in general. His character was entertaining though, if you're not the one he's trying to get to 'warm him up'. Plus Louis is just that kind of guy you would trust, you know? Even Kotone, who knows at the back of her mind that he shouldn't be trusted because why does he know everything? overlooks it to listen to his 'advice'. He's really cool, actually. If he wasn't such a major character in the Megami Tensei world, I might have written about him, haha! And about the True Love girl fic, haven't really finalized anything for that but I always found that NPC so funny XD

**nitewind**: Thank you! Yeah, some Chaos answers would have gone against the character/personality I imagined Kotone to have. After all, Kotone's still inclined to do the lawful thing as Raidou despite how she feels about some things, but sometimes she'll disregard that for her own opinion which will grow increasingly 'Chaotic' as time passes in this fic. Lucifer fights - probably not going to happen, I admit. Raidou is powerful, obviously, since she saved the Capital once already from gigantic robots and zombies with her friends, but fighting and defeating Lucifer would practically turn her into a god, for me. It felt great kicking the Horsemen's and Lucifer's butts in the game, but even I can't suspend my disbelief for Raidou as just a human character if she's able to defeat Lucifer at this age. Maybe in the future, when she's older and more experienced, but not now. You will definitely be seeing Alice and Uncles Red and Black later in the fic, though. :) But thanks for the questions and suggestions! They're definitely appreciated and help me develop the story - I loved your idea about Lilim's art of 'making friends'! I think I'll borrow that, if you don't mind? Haha!

**minaseiko1**: Thank you! :)

**LordxxAxelxxLover**: Thanks so much! I'm honored. Writing a genderbender fic is often like treading on glass, so I was apprehensive about writing it (thinking of the flames I would probably get XD) but...yeah :)) I'm glad you like Kotone! *munches on internet cookie*

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry I don't have back-to-back updates for you today, but this chapter is longer than most of the others, I think...not longer than two chapters, but longer than my usual chapter :)) (or maybe as long as two chapters? I'm not sure anymore...) I'm sorry for the long wait! I've been focused on school and have been in talks with another FF. net author, junior-wheel, about her continuing my Legend of Zelda fic, _Twilight Child_, so it won't be so crappy anymore, haha! She's going to post it on her account and will be taking over the fic since I'm focusing on _Sparks _now. Anyway, don't let me ramble on further - read on!

Just to remind you, in the previous chapter, the Narumi Detective Agency plus Tae visited Tsukigata Village, where they asked too many questions about Dahn, so Akijiro had them drugged and nearly assassinated after their attempted escape. Raidou's butt was sufficiently kicked, at least until Geirin came to the rescue, and Nagi said some things that annoyed Nue. Dahn and Akane are actually brother and sister, as Akijiro revealed. Yup. Chapter 6 GO!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Shall We Talk With Our Fists?**

"In the name of the Yatagarasu, we entrust the fate of the Capital to you. Much is expected of you, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th."

Slowly, she disappeared, from the bottom of her cloak, to her chest, then her shoulders, to her pale lips, small nose, and to the hood that covered her eyes, as the Herald of the Yatagarasu was wont to do. Once Tae had awoken, Narumi and Gouto sent her back to the Capital and came to Shinoda's Nameless Shrine to report on their recent findings. The Herald informed them that Dahn's actions, though carried out with his sister in mind, could only bring destruction unto the Capital. The misfortune brought about by the release of the luck locusts, too, had already known repercussions, such as the appearance of Fiends in the area – which explained Binbou-gami, but the Herald warned that there would be more to come. The only uplifting news that Kotone received for the whole visit was that the Herald could purify her of her terrible luck – and she did, so the Great Summoner might finally stop walking into everything.

Kotone took a step back and stared at the bell that summoned the placid woman, and then at the tiny magnolia lanterns that lit the eerie shrine. Just where did she disappear to all the time? She was aware that the woman was simply a manifestation of the herald's spirit (at least, that was how she had come to understand the state of things, because everyone was much too cryptic), but it was still a mystery.

A squeeze on her shoulder snapped her back to reality.

It was Narumi. "No pressure, Raidou," he said with a slight chuckle. "It's a big task, but you always come through, right?"

"Of course, boss," she said with the confidence he wanted her to hear. It was confidence she felt, too, but the thought of more fiends like Binbou-gami – and worse – occupied her mind too much for her to stay too proud. And that was a good thing, she supposed, as long as she didn't surrender to their power.

"But, wow…" Narumi pulled his hat over his eyes. "We were in a big enough pickle when Dahn and the Fukoshi were all we had to worry about…now, Fiends?"

"He shouldn't be worried," Gouto snorted, "if you can trick them, Kotone, you can defeat them. They'll just take more work than most demons."

"What did Gouto say?"

"He doesn't know why you're worried," said Kotone, "You are not the one who must defeat them."

Narumi crossed his arms at Gouto. "That wasn't very nice…"

"Kotone!"

"He was only joking, of course," Kotone said with a small grin. "Where to, boss?"

"Back home," said Narumi, fixing his hat. "I think it's time we had our next Investigational Meeting. Yeah…time to sit back, relax, and discuss our next move. After one more dreadful train ride…"

"Actually, boss," Kotone said, eyeing the Dragon's Cave near the shrine, "I have a short cut."

* * *

Sparks of electricity crackled in the dark room, the sound of exploding machinery augmenting the eeriness of the maniacal laugh echoing through its walls. Above, a clueless and rather miserly shop owner wondered what ghastly things occurred in his basement as he felt the ground under his feet shake slightly, but as long as his tenant paid the right amount, he would never attempt to even venture a guess.

The air mingled flirtatiously with thick smoke and the stench of rust when the Narumi Detective Agency appeared with a blue flash of light. Its namesake sneezed as soon as he attempted to inhale, and spent a number of minutes coughing and beating away at the air. "What kind of…?"

Gouto pawed at his nose in a manner Tae would have found adorable while Kotone, pinching her nose gingerly, reached for a tube. "Aeros, if you would please…"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

With a few spins of his shimmering half-form, Aeros forced the smoke to swirl in an invisible vacuum and the room cleared. A green light flashed near Raidou's chest, and Narumi could breathe again. He hated going to Victor's laboratory. It was badly lit, messier than even his own office to the point that he felt as though wherever he stepped, something was bound to explode. He decided to stay rooted to his spot, clear of the mine-like experiments he was certain littered the place.

"Ah, Kuzunoha!" called a voice on the edge of insane laughter. "I know I can always count on you! A woman's touch is always better than an Ippon-datara's!"

A _tak-tak-tak_ made its way towards them. "WelLCoMe, MiSs RaiDoUuuuuUu!"

A white spirit with a dog's head slithered about in the air, floating to its fellow demon's side. "HELLO, SUMMONER!" said the Inugami, a smile on its canine face. "I NOW MAKE VICTOR HAPPY."

"That's very good, Inugami. Hello," said Kotone, reflecting the Ippon-datara's bow to both demons. Narumi wished he could 'see' again. There were downsides to having the ability, such as being forced to look upon the fearsome ones without turning away for fear of being rude and angering them, but it was better than staying unawares. "Where is Dr. Victor?"

"Over here, over here!" Victor's voice rang out again. He came out from behind one of the cages scattered around his laboratory, wiping the dust from his graying lab coat. To Narumi, he looked as batty as always: grimy coat, shiny black gloves, patches of skin sewed onto his face through some means he dared not imagine for fear of his own sanity, and disheveled, oily gray-white hair so solid that it defied the laws of motion, much like the way his experiments did the laws of nature. His lips were twisted into one of the widest grins the detective had ever seen.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Victor," said Kotone, bowing. Narumi marveled at Gouto's and her capacity not to stare slack-jawed at his odd appearance. Then again, compared to something like a Fury Nezha, Dr. Victor looked like a saint.

"Yes, yes, to what do I owe the pleasure, Kuzunoha?" The doctor's thick goggles slapped back against his forehead when he pulled them off. "Ah, welcome to the Gouma Den, Mr. Narumi! Gouto! You have found your apprentice, I see!"

"Gouto and I passed by him on the way back when you first disappeared," Narumi explained to Kotone. "Tae stayed upstairs. How did, uh, how did that experiment go, by the way, Victor?"

"Bah!" Victor made a face and bitterly waved a hand, as though willing the thought to leave him forever. "The secrets to creating a sentient machine remain in the coming future, for now! If only I could get my hands on that android again… Have you seen him lately?"

"Not since a year ago, no," replied Kotone, and she was glad of it. Rasputin kept to himself now. She had achieved sufficient retribution from breaking a bottle over his head, but the memory of her own defeat in his hands still upset her, especially because he was a lecherous and lascivious, rude man with unnatural powers. "I haven't explored the lower section of the Capital. I suspect he might be in the Red Light district, but we've not any reason to travel there."

Victor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He should have appeared as the intelligent creature he was, but Narumi couldn't help but look upon him as a too eccentric man in need of some mental help. That or the scientist wanted his slick gumshoe brains to experiment with. "If I send another case file asking for him, would you?"

"Actually, we're on a pretty big case right now," Narumi interjected. "We're just passing through, really. So, we're heading on back to the Agency now, if you don't mind, doctor…"

Gouto snickered at the detective. "His unease is too apparent. It's a good thing the doctor doesn't care about the opinions of others, or it might be considered rude."

Narumi raised an eyebrow at Kotone for a translation.

"He says that Dr. Victor can smell fear, you know."

"Wh-What?"

"It was a joke," said Kotone, again. "Once again, doctor, your Tesseract Box works like a charm."

"Yes, indeed! And from the farthest of places, hmm? An even better Box should be ready for testing soon – I've been working on a way to teleport to any Dragon Cave _from_ the lab this time!" Victor gave a jovial laugh, but even that sounded menacing to Narumi.

Really, for a seventeen year-old girl, Kotone kept company with the most peculiar of men. There was Tsukumo, that rocket scientist from a year ago, her bizarre alliance with Satake, the bartender at Shin Sekai, and he didn't even want to know what others who could guess her true gender thought of her visits to Dr. Victor. And that wasn't even counting Gouto, her ancestor's spirit inhabiting a cat's body, or himself, a detective almost twenty years her senior (though he fancied himself an interesting subject rather than peculiar). Of course, this sort of thought came always before he took into consideration her being a Great Summoner, as Geirin had so proudly put, and that though a teenager she rarely acted like one.

"SURE YOU DON'T WANT TO TRY DR. VICTOR'S SWORD FUSING MACHINE?" asked the Inugami, swimming around a blind Narumi.

"It'S GoOOoooOD! SucCeSSfUl LiKE wALLs!" the Ippon-datara agreed, clapping its hammer and tongs together. In the demon world that should have been convincing, Kotone supposed.

"That doesn't even make sense," Gouto grumbled, having found Ippon-dataras unbearable even during his lifetime.

"At a later time, maybe," said Kotone, forcing amusement at Gouto's irritation back. "My blade still works well."

"The bearer of the blade and not the blade matters, after all, yes, indeed," said Victor, his hair frozen together so that it stayed still as he bobbed his head up and down. "Still, I expect a visit from you soon, Kuzunoha! Take care, Mr. Narumi and Gouto!"

The Narumi Detective Agency – hurriedly, in Narumi's case – gave their goodbyes and climbed the stairs to Konnou-Ya. Its owner, a miserly balding man who had forgotten about all of Kotone's purchases in the past year and perceived her once more as a child who bought nothing from his store, expressed great distress at their simply walking out of his basement without buying a thing, paying that they had reached the basement without his knowledge no mind, and pestered them until Kotone agreed to buy some Medicine for her demons.

A pair of men awaited them at the agency doorstep. One had just turned from a sniveling boy into a man in his father's place, and the other had reduced himself to a sniveling fool for the sake of his son.

"Kenta, Mr. Kogure," Kotone greeted them with a pleasant tone. "How good to see you're both safe."

"Hello there," Narumi smiled at the boy and inclined his head at the father. He had heard of them from his apprentice and saw through the Kantou Haguro-gumi punk stance that was natural to Osamu, thanks to the basket of croquettes he held in his sandpaper-dry hands.

"You must be Mr. Narumi," said Osamu, his hardened mouth breaking into a smile.

"Just Narumi, please," said the detective.

Osamu nodded. "Kenta and I wanted to thank your Agency for helping me escape that…bizarre place. Here." He handed the detective the croquette basket before turning to Raidou. "I talked with Mr. Satake. He wasn't too happy, gave me more than an earful, even, but at least I ain't a peon again…"

"Satake's justice system when it comes to his men actually has merit. He has a soft spot for members of his crew," Narumi noted. "

"And for you, Raidou," said Osamu, his innocent smile turning into a suggestive grin. "He sends his regards to Narumi and your cat, and a letter for you."

Nudged forward by his father, Kenta held out a folded piece of parchment with his head bowed. "Here…from Mr. Satake!"

"Thank you." Kotone unfurled it and read aloud, "_Kotone, my enemies are looking for a delicate teenage girl to exploit my alleged weakness. Idiots. Keep up the boyish act and you should be fine, but it's gotten around that Narumi's a close friend of yours, so I'd tell him to be careful. Watch out. –Kenzou Satake._" She glanced at Osamu thoughtfully. "How does he know my real name?"

"Oh," Osamu smiled. "Your journalist friend was very accommodating."

Narumi frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? And _I'm_ in danger now?"

"We didn't harm her, if that's what you're thinking," said Osamu, waving his hands defensively at the implications of the detective's words. "She opened the door to your office. She was fixing stuff around the place, and when we asked her where you all were, your friend called Raidou with her real name. Mr. Satake didn't think you'd mind."

"Not much we can do if he knows," Narumi muttered, but knew there was no real harm in the yakuza boss knowing his apprentice's name. It made that false rumor buzzing around a little more realistic this way, however, and it made him a little uncomfortable. Not that Satake could possibly be serious – he still saw Kotone as a man with whom he shared a mutually beneficial relationship consisting of case files and favors despite everything that happened, he'd confessed to Narumi, and some friendship he reserved only for those who earned his respect, a list that now included the members of the Narumi Detective Agency. "Tell him thanks for the warning."

"Will do. Take care, now. Lots of guys out there who ain't content with how Mr. Satake runs the business in the Capital," said Osamu, bowing and turning in the direction of the train station. "Thanks again."

"Bye, kitty," Kenta said to Gouto, patting his furry head gently, and followed his father out of sight.

Narumi watched them go proudly. He liked the feeling of expecting more customers soon, even though he treated the thought with some disdain, especially when Raidou wasn't around. Remembering the basket in his hands, he grinned at his two companions. "Looks like dinner's all set!"

"I'm all for croquettes," said Gouto, tracing a whisker with his paw, "but that wouldn't be very nutritious for you, Kotone."

Narumi, already unlocking the door to his office, looked back. "Hmm?"

"Gouto says the basket will be empty before the afternoon ends. We'll have to buy dinner again. Perhaps with your funds this time, boss," said Kotone.

"We'll talk about that later," Narumi said with a jittery laugh. "Come on, let's get settled back home."

Kotone watched her boss enter the Ginroukaku building with a curious tilt of her head. "How strange…"

Gouto was already on his way inside. "What is?"

"The boss hardly took notice – if he did at all – of the fact that Miss Asakura entered his office and rearranged his things," said Kotone, almost perplexed. It seemed completely out of character for the Shouhei Narumi she knew. "A year ago, he might have whined irritably about it."

Gouto chuckled. "Catching on, are you?"

"What?"

"Nothing," said the cat, stretching his mouth into an innocent smile that instead appeared sinister. "Narumi gave Tae a spare key, so he probably expected something like this. And people change, even over so short a time as a year – as Protector of the Capital, you should understand this best."

"I should," Kotone agreed, missing the clues that Gouto laid out for her as she berated herself quietly.

Narumi leaned against the doorframe, an eyebrow raised at Gouto and Kotone. "Are you two coming in for the Investigational Meeting, or do we plan to stand around here and talk about me all day?"

* * *

Raidou and Gouto bounded out of the train station. Dahn was gaining on Akane, the Narumi Detective Agency realized towards the end of their discussion, and it was only a matter of a time before he realized her true whereabouts, not to mention that a number of his Fukoshi were trailing Raidou herself and she had probably already led them to the mansion during her last visit. Narumi continuously rang the Narita residence at least half an hour back, but no one had answered.

They had run so far in such a short amount of time with earthquakes in between that Kotone could feel the sweat trickling down her neck, and in between the folds of the chest she bandaged down every morning. Gouto was so exhausted halfway through that his descendant had picked him up, but the violent swings of her arms as she leapt through Kasumidai did little to subdue his sudden vertigo, and he requested to be set down again.

The mansion's front doors were already open when they arrived, though it didn't come as a surprise. With a telephone ringing cacophonously in the background, army soldiers lay sprawled about on the front porch, leading as a trail of groaning breadcrumbs into the vestibule, right before the receiving room, where a black-masked Fukoshi stood guard.

He started at the sight of the caped student and her matching black cat. "Y-Yew…! Yer alive…? Ah remember yew from Mannen-Cho! The luck locusts shoulda chewed up all yer luck by now... Though yer outta luck either way! Yer gonna die even if we leave yew alone now… Don't think yer lucky to have survived, 'cause yer in for a livin' hell. Poor kid…" Kotone gave no reaction to his empty threats, prompting an irritated grunt from the Fukoshi. With a concentrated arch of his back, he faded away as though he'd been a mirage all along.

"What a mess…" Gouto leapt over the soldiers to reach the receiving room. "C'mon, Kotone. I'm worried about Akane now."

Raidou caught sight of the phone, still ringing, below a large portrait of Councilman Narita. Picking it up, she said, "Hello?"

"Raidou!" Narumi sounded surprised, the familiar sound of things falling off his desk proving it. "Must be chaos there if you had to answer the phone yourself. What's the situation?"

Raidou felt almost mesmerized as she stared at the receiving room's doors. They rippled with magic she was finally familiar with. "Dahn is here, boss. There is a Fukorutsubo spell blocking the way to the receiving room – I'm about to enter."

"All right." Narumi felt his breath hitch. They were finally about to face Dahn and he was a sitting duck in the office. Getting accustomed to doing leg work again was finally unnerving him. "Be careful, Raidou. And remember that the bugs are weak against fire."

Kotone wanted to tell him not to remind her, as the thought still made her want to retch, but she was Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, and though he was a friend, he still reported to the Yatagarasu. "Thank you, boss," she said, and put the phone down.

As soon as she did, Councilman Narita's butler came out of hiding from behind the staircase in the main hall and fell to his knees. "P-Please!" he cried. "I-I tried to get into the sitting room, but I can't! I fell unconscious in front of the door…and when I came to, I was in this strange place! M-Master Tasuke and Mistress Akane are in there! They're being held captive by a young man…!"

Gouto sneered. "They've got some nerve using the same spell twice. All we've gotta do is break through – let's go, Kotone!"

Raidou nodded dutifully and, striding forward to touch the ripples warding the receiving room door, realized she was no longer a stranger to the feeling of losing her grip on the waking world.

The sunset was gone. Kotone woke to the depths of sickly green insect wing patterns, though pores still fell from the sky like snow. It was ironic how an assassin's weapon could imitate the curious descent of falling snow, peaceful and calming. Her ear rested against something of a smooth texture, like the flower petals that she and her favorite male cousin used to collect into piles and dive into, so Kotone turned her head to see what it might be.

The black walls. Insect wings touched like petals.

Kotone inhaled sharply and jumped back, springing to her feet, a scream begging to come out of her throat. Disgust crawled up her spine and she hardened her back so as not to release the shiver that would show her weakness – not that Gouto needed any more evidence to show that the great Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th could defeat soulless armies and awful little gods but cowered at the mere thought of a butterfly.

"I'm all right," said Raidou, holding a hand up to silence the cat whose tail flicked in vague disappointment.

Gouto tilted his head and pawed at his whiskers. "I hope you're sure about that, Kotone, because I don't think it's a light waiting for us at the end of this tunnel."

Raidou stared into the forking paths thoughtfully, reaching for a tube on her chest. "Perhaps it needn't be a Jiromaru. Leanan?"

Leanan Sidhe was a woman, moreso than Lilim in the physical sense. She was pale with long, platinum blonde hair, full lips, a face soft enough to tempt a man but with enough ire to stave him off. Her long black dress dipped low into her chest, at the tip of her stomach, and yet she floated in the air in a laid back sitting position, seeming to take no notice of it in any way.

She gave Kotone a sly smile when she realized she had been summoned. "Kotone, dear," said Leanan Sidhe, "how can I help you? It's been a while since we fought together. Although I can't say I miss the gore…"

"There'll be no gore today, Leanan," Raidou replied. "I needed a beautiful demon at my side to attract another who resides here. Asking for directions might be a better plan than stumbling about this sick maze."

"Oh." Leanan only laughed, accustomed to the more businesslike tone Raidou often took while on a mission, and it sounded like the pealing of bells. Her hair swayed to the side and reminded Raidou of silky rays of sunlight. When Kotone had first met the demoness, she, like many Devil Summoners and regular humans, had been tempted to trade her life away for the company of such an alluring being, but Lilim saved her and helped her convince the woman to join her team instead. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"Hey!" A flash of green light, and Lilim was flapping her wings furiously with an expression on her face to match. Speak of the devil. "Beautiful demon? What about _me_? And don't even get me started on how you interrupted me again, Kotone!"

Leanan Sidhe put a dainty hand to her lips and gave a slight chuckle. "Kotone knows the score, my dear Lilim."

"Stay out of this, Leanan," Lilim hissed. "I'll show you beautiful!" The child of Lilith clasped her hands together and uttered incantations she had learned from her siblings, her eyebrows knitting more tightly by the word.

"A summoning spell," said Gouto, watching Lilim's now visible aura glow violet. "But not the kind we need. Stop—!"

As was often the case, it was too late. Lilim's spell had attracted a Fury Nezha, a demon quite common in the depths of the Fukorutsubo, and it was in even less of a good mood than its kind usually was. It came charging in from the eastern path, letting out a fierce battle cry and hurling its stave at Kotone.

"Uh-oh," Lilim muttered.

Raidou caught the weapon with her left hand and turned to her oldest friend. "Can't you control it?"

"I didn't learn _that_ spell!" Lilim waved her hands helplessly. "My mother told them not to teach me when she found out I was friends with you, remember? Go kill it with its own weapon!"

Raidou dropped the stave and flicked out her revolver, but Leanan was in the way of the demon before she could fire.

"There, there," Leanan cooed, patting the Nezha on the head with a glowing pink hand. A charm spell, and a triumphant grin sent Lilim's way. The two females were partners and the closest of friends when it came to Kotone's demons, but that had never stopped them from a little competition. She floated out of the way to reveal a calm Nezha, seemingly civilized to the point of bowing. "And Lilim, you should know better than anybody that Kotone's left hand is strictly her trigger hand."

"Age over beauty," Lilim huffed.

A dark expression overcame Leanan's pallid features. "What was that?"

"Nothing…" Lilim smiled sweetly at the woman. "Now, Kotone, what did you want a demon for anyway?"

"As I said earlier, directions." Raidou approached the Nezha, sword drawn, but didn't strike. "Mr. Nezha. We would like to escape this place as soon as possible. Which fork paths do we take from here on out?"

The Fury Nezha took one loving look at Leanan, who nodded, and answered, "East, west, southwest, my dear girl. I know not their purpose, but there are two masked humans standing near there. It's strange. They themselves seem to be the exit – only they can provide passage for humans such as yourself. Zappo!"

Kotone breathed and cleared her mind, crawling with bugs. "Leanan, that will be all."

Leanan's long eyelashes fluttered at Lilim. "I assume you at least know a banishing spell?"

The younger seductress shot her an impatient look. "I'd like to see you deal with being Lilith's daughter _and_ friends with her greatest enemy's kid at the same time."

Leanan shrugged and uttered her own incantations, which caused the Nezha to run back whence it came, disappearing as it went. Before she and Lilim could argue any further, Raidou summoned them back into their tubes.

Gouto sighed. "Women. I'm glad your father trained that pettiness out of you, Kotone."

Kotone smiled. "Let them be. I don't understand why they argue. Strength and strategy win battles, not beauty. At best, it serves as a distraction."

Gouto wondered, in retrospect, if Kotone's father had been right to train her so vigorously in battle, with nary a care for the world beyond demons and her duties as a Great Summoner. He _did_ want the name of Raidou Kuzunoha to continue down his bloodline. Then again, Kotone was only seventeen. This new century was a chance for women to outgrow the rigid rules in which society had placed them, and he didn't want to stop Kotone from doing that – or it could just have been Tae talking.

Thanks to the Nezha, it took Raidou and Gouto only a small while before they found two masked men speaking in hushed tones. They seemed so engrossed that it was tempting to just attack them and take advantage of their surprise, but they hadn't spread any numbing poison the way their elders in Tsukigata Village had, and in this state Raidou felt she could take them on without too much trouble. Jiromaru was disgusting, but he wasn't too difficult an enemy in the face of Pyro Jack. Kotone had to draw her sword twice before the Fukoshi noticed her.

The Fukoshi's shoulders tensed at the sight of her, and the one to the left had a familiar voice. He was one of the assassins who had stolen her luck in Mannen-Cho.

"Yer stubborn as a mule," he said, his katana ready. "Yew keep fighting against us. Ain't yew got no sense, girl? Or are yew sick of hangin' around limbo, and yew want us ta finish yew off?"

The second shook his head and raised a hand to his lips, getting ready to whistle. "One way or t'other, it's time to finish this! Sic 'em, Jiroma–"

"Nue, Shock Wave!" Raidou interrupted, pulling a tube from her chest. Nue leapt out of the green flash of light with a great roar that matched his tiger limbs. His green snake tail hissed excitedly as lightning shot out of his wide black mouth, shocking the two Fukoshi into twitching on the floor.

"Kotone!" Gouto leapt up to his descendant and gave her a noticeable frown. "These are humans – you can't use your demons on them! Using Gozuki to knock out that civilian was one thing, but using spells on humans—"

"This is an isolated instance," Raidou reasoned. "We're in a hurry, Gouto, and they live."

Nue shook his white, slicked back fur and put a paw on each man. "STILL A SPARK IN BODIES," he noted, glancing back at an approaching Raidou. "FINISH OFF?"

"No," his summoner replied, and was only able to breathe when her vision blurred. She hadn't been sure if knocking them unconscious would break the spell. Commanding Nue to return to his tube, Raidou saw the world of Fukorutsubo flow eastward like a river until it was out of sight and the space before her was occupied not by an insect wing guarding the depths of a sullen green sea but the door to the Narita mansion's receiving room. At her feet lay two black masked Fukoshi, and the one whose build she now recognized stirred a little. Raidou checked his neck for a pulse and considered removing his mask to further his shame, but decided instead that the red boxes on his and his companion's waists were of more value.

As she moved to unclasp them, he seemed to wake. His hand had a weak hold on her wrist. "How in the hell…" he groaned weakly, "how did yew survive…with luck like that…?"

"I learned something of luck in the Tsukigata village," Raidou replied, removing his hand from her person and placing their boxes onto her own belt. Already, she felt more optimistic. "And I believe it's time you returned what is mine."

"Tch…Wipe that smirk off yer face…" the Fukoshi mumbled. Raidou's mouth dropped into a line. She hadn't even known that she was smiling. With the last of his energy, the Fukoshi proclaimed, "The feller up ahead will kick yer ass fer damn sure!"

The Fukoshi was unconscious again, and Raidou realized at the back of her mind that the butler was gone. She figured he was cowering somewhere within the house, if he hadn't run out completely. Gouto pawed at her feet. He appeared resolved to be distant because of what she had done, but there were bigger issues at hand. "Dahn is up ahead. Make sure you're ready."

The receiving room seemed just as much of an old photograph as the mansion's entrance hall. It was so drab that Raidou barely noticed the vases and paintings skirting the walls. In fact, the only reason she noticed the long table in the middle of the room was because she had nearly bumped into it. The room was lit a dim yellow, but even in the soft light she could see three figures clearly: Akane, Dahn, and Councilman Narita.

Akane was standing off to the side, holding her purse to her chest and staring at something fearfully. Raidou followed her gaze and landed on an almost comical sight of Councilman Narita's feet dangling against the wall, the only thing keeping him in place a foot pressed against his neck. It was Dahn's, his red jinbaori and black hair bright against the councilman's gray suit. She couldn't see his face, but even Gouto knew he was grinning at the sound of Narita choking against his foot.

"You sound like a strangled chicken," said a familiar voice. It took Kotone a moment to realize it was Dahn's voice as she barely remembered it on the Ushigome-gaeri bridge. His accent was much less pronounced than those of his men. "Heh. Brings back memories of the village – the same village you left because you weren't keen on the Tsukigata way, huh, Narita? But here you are, takin' their money and shelterin' Akane." He scoffed. "It ain't funny, neither."

"I'll…give…back the…money…" Narita struggled to say, his legs swinging wildly and his hands prying pathetically at Dahn's foot. "I'll…give back…the money…"

Dahn snorted. "Keep your money. You'll need it for your hospital bills."

"Stop it!" Akane cried out, taking a step forward.

Dahn removed his foot immediately. Narita fell to his knees, holding his throat and finding himself in a hacking fit. Raidou's eyes flew back to Akane, whose figure was now wrapped all in Dahn. She shook herself out of her reverie. Watching Narita suffer had been so horrifying and mesmerizing that she'd had to stop for a moment. Raidou took light steps in reaching Narita. Neither sibling had noticed her yet, so she helped him up to a seat near the table and held his shoulder steady. "Are you all right, sir?"

"I been looking all over the Capital for you, Akane," said Dahn, his voice suddenly of a different tone. With Narita it had been amused and gruff and angry, but with Akane his voice was gentle, riding on a low whisper. "This Capital's one big place."

Akane shook her head against his embrace. "You're always doing everything the way you want to… You never listen to me, brother!"

Narita coughed hoarsely before grabbing Raidou by the shoulders and pointing at Dahn in a panic. "Y-You came at a great time!" he exclaimed, and it was as though his composure and disdain for her had never existed. "I'm in luck! You're looking for Dahn, right? Here he is! This man is Dahn!"

Akane peeked her head out from her brother's embrace and gasped. "R-Raidou?"

Without turning, Dahn sighed irritably. "Them fellas I left to keep watch… I know they're not the kind to ignore orders and let you through. So how'd you get here…?"

Raidou forced Narita's hands off her and stood straight, flipping her disheveled cape back as she moved forward. "I've been sent to the Fukorutsubo under normal circumstances, after being drugged, and after inhaling numbing poison. I am not so easily deterred, Dahn Tsukigata."

Dahn released Akane and whirled, an eyebrow raised curiously. He stared at Raidou, sizing her up, it seemed, and Kotone took the opportunity to memorize him so as not to forget him again. His build was larger than she remembered, his shoulders broad and his body narrowing along his waist. She couldn't see much past his encumbering jinbaori, but his face was older somehow. It was his frown, portraying confusion and irritation and a different sort of recognition she hadn't expected. His eyes, Kotone realized, he certainly hadn't taken from his father. Akane and Akijiro shared the same eyes. But Dahn's were deep set, russet, and might have been captivating if they weren't so angry.

Dahn had thin lips, and they parted to utter, "…You. The girl from the bridge and the train. Sorry, but go on home. I'm busy right now."

It was Raidou's turn for confusion. "You mean to say – you're not aware of who I am?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dahn sighed, waving a hand at her dismissively. "You're the girl who's been followin' me."

"No." Kotone felt her eyebrows knitting. This wasn't how she had expected their confrontation to proceed. "I am Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. The Devil Summoner; Protector of the Capital. You have been following _me_."

"Wait…" Dahn scratched his head a bit, Kotone's earlier words catching up with him. Numbing poison and the Tsukigata Village. The gumshoe didn't travel to the village alone with that reporter frail – she was with them. He just hadn't seen them together. "_You're_ the one my pals met at Mannen-Cho?"

"Yes." Raidou liked the recognition, no matter if she could already feel his ire for her rising. "And your elders in the Tsukigata Village – they aren't pleased with you."

"To hell with the elders," Dahn spat. "Look…I'll pretend I didn't see you. Less'n you're here to get in my way." He flashed a confident, patronizing smile, the kind Kotone was accustomed to seeing from older men. Satake's goons had taken her for granted before, and so had the other boys in Kuzunoha village – at least until she knocked them unconscious. His eyes were challenging, as though he believed he would win if ever they did battle.

"That's right," she replied, ready to prove him wrong. "I won't allow you to take Miss Akane."

Dahn's smile vanished even faster than Tatsumi. "Wha… I don't quite get you. I don't remember pickin' a fight with you…" He was frowning now. "Take it from me, and don't bother. Go home and eat some bonbons or somethin'. You ain't beatin' me."

Raidou didn't appreciate his bonbons comment, but she wouldn't get angry. Retribution for this type of man usually came in a good beating. "Perhaps I should tell you – that same confidence is what coerced your men into allowing me entrance."

There was a change in Dahn's demeanor. He was getting aggressive. "Huh…so you beat my men, is that it, little miss Devil Summoner? Well now, playtime's over…and your luck just ran out. I'm in a foul mood now, no two ways about it." Dahn scratched his head wildly, just as Kotone thought his hair couldn't get any more disheveled, and she noticed, as he picked something from his back – nunchucks with ends like sickles – that he shared the thick provincial accent of his men when he was angry. "I'm madder'n a riled hornet's nest, and I'm gonna have revenge for those pals of mine… So the first thing I've gotta do is rearrange that pretty face of yours!"

Akane gasped. "B-Brother!"

Raidou unsheathed her sword and held it ready. No one had ever called hers a pretty face before (except for her mother and Hiruko, but they didn't count), and she might have been distracted or flattered by Dahn's words had he not slipped it in the same sentence as _rearrange_.

"You have an interesting weapon of choice, Dahn Tsukigata," said the Devil Summoner. "However, within the narrow space a receiving room provides, don't you think you would only end up hurting yourself?"

With a wave of Dahn's hand, the sight of the receiving room flowed westward like a river until it was washed away by the familiar vision of a green Fukorutsubo. Narita fell on his posterior with a grunt, still holding his neck painfully, and was approached by an equally confused Akane.

"The Fukorutsubo, one of the Fukoshi's few spells, and yet one of the most deadly," Narita explained to the young woman who had pretended to be his daughter. He had always tried to distance himself from Akane, knowing her fate, but he couldn't push her away, especially not with her great likeness to Makiko. In the space of a week he had grown from disdaining to pitying to caring for her as a father should his child. His love had willingly taken on the dreadful task and now so did Akane, and as she held his arm fearfully, he wished she would be trapped in the Fukorutsubo forever rather than become the bride to those damned Tento Lords. He could hardly blame Dahn for his actions, but the boy was taking it to horrifying extremes. It was up to the devil summoning girl to fix this, if Akijiro's inability to stop his son was any indication.

Akane glanced around, understanding how the intricate patterns trapping them were related to her clan's legacy, but couldn't help but ask, "H-How…?"

"The spell is taught only to those who've reached a certain rank in Tsukigata clan training, but the devil summoner mentioned… I wouldn't be surprised if your brother taught his underlings as well," said Narita. "The only way to dispel it is to defeat the caster."

"Defeat…" Akane glanced at her brother and Raidou worriedly.

"We're awake," Raidou said to Gouto. "How is this so?"

"Quit that fancy talkin'," said Dahn, "you wanted a bigger battlefield, didn't you? I'm lettin' you keep your wits about you, givin' you a fightin' chance, and you're gonna complain? Not that I care if you're comfortable – I'm gonna pay you back for hurtin' my pals. Just wait 'til you feel the sting of my sickle nunchaku… Girl or not, I'll give you a hidin' you'll never forget!"

Dahn attacked first. With time that would have been maximized to only a few steps for most of Raidou's opponents, he was before her, throwing his sickle nunchaku at her face. Dropping her sword, Raidou bent her body back into a bridge on her palms and used the momentum to give Dahn an uppercut bicycle kick, knocking his weapon out of his hand and hitting his face. He stumbled backwards as she rolled to the ground and rose quickly to her feet, sheathing her sword and returning to her ready stance. If it was a fistfight he wanted, he would have it.

Dahn had something else in mind, however, as he rubbed his chin carefully and snapped his jaw twice to reassure himself that it was fine. "I'll admit you got me with that one… My head's spinnin' a little." He gave his curly hair another ruffle and feigned deep thought. "This'd be a piece of cake for me on my lonesome, but if it wants its time to shine, sure…" Two fingers to the lips, and a high-pitched whistle. "Come, my Taromaru!"

"No!" Kotone couldn't help but exclaim, holding her left hand out as though it would stop the expanding sphere of light from heralding the arrival of another giant locust. It resembled the Jiromaru of Dahn's henchmen in every aspect save for its legs, painted red, matching its position as the Fukoshi leader's familiar.

"Heh…" Dahn was pleased with himself. "My men told me that the kid who tried to challenge 'em was afraid of Jiromaru. I can see why now."

Raidou frowned. "Are you implying that the reason is that I'm female?"

Dahn shrugged, not caring much for her pride, and gave Taromaru a pat to the hind leg. "Go, Taromaru!"

Raidou stared at the bug, steadying her breath. It was so ugly. Moreso because its legs were bright red, vivid like the pillars of the Tamonten Shrine. Insects were sticky when they died. They stuck to the surfaces of whatever they died on or fell on after being swatted properly, and if this Taromaru were to die, then its bright red legs would stick to that surface too, and it would take a lot more than scratching off to get the color off the surface. What if it were to land on her cape once it died?

"Kotone," Gouto called her attention. She had almost forgotten he was there. "This is just like Jiromaru! Summon Pyro Jack!"

"I'm here, ho!" Pyro Jack declared, having released himself from his tube on his own. It was an easier task when Raidou wanted him to come out even without saying anything, because a willing summoner loosened the binds on the tube a great deal. "Another heensect! Don't worry, Ko-ho-ne!" The little demon flew over to Taromaru, advancing on Kotone slowly, and inhaled as much as he could. "Agidyne!"

Taromaru barely budged. Its abdomen caught fire, but with just a few flaps of its wings, the fire dissipated. Pyro Jack turned his body to Raidou. "Why—ahh!" Pyro Jack's body was thrown against the insect wing of a wall almost as soon as Taromaru lifted a leg and struck him with a fierceful roar.

Whimpering, Pyro Jack slid down beside Akane and Narita, who backed away in surprise. "A demon…?"

"Are you…all right?" Akane picked up his pumpkin head, blinking in surprise and almost dropping him again when his hat, cloak and lantern were lifted along with it.

"Pyro Jack, are you—"

"You distract too easy," Dahn called out, and in a similar fashion to Pyro Jack, Raidou's concern was interrupted as her body was slammed against the tunnel walls. Taromaru had charged her, pincers pinning her to the wall, and its antennae poked curiously at her face.

Kotone bit back a shriek, her chest rising and falling as rapidly as heartbeats as she stared into Taromaru's eyes, edges glimmering like hollow jewels. "Jack…"

"Hee-ho!" said an energetic whine, accompanied by a flash of green. Taromaru roared and shook its head blindly as a white blob in blue covered its vision, pounding at its eyes with a cold fist. "You're a meanie, hee!"

Raidou, who was dropped when Jack Frost leapt out of his tube, stood and decided he was worth a try. "Jack Frost, Cocytus!"

Jack Frost's black abyss of a mouth widened, shooting out tiny ice crystals and snow at Taromaru. It was enough to freeze the bug's head solid, and Taromaru backed away, struggling to regain its bearings. Realizing it was unable to do so in this environment, it picked up its wings and flew off in hopes of finding a way outside.

"Good job, Jack Frost. Here, Medicine for Pyro." Raidou tossed her favorite Ice-order demon the item and left the demons to their devices with Akane and Narita while she faced off with Dahn once more. It was extremely unfair, how the Fukoshi could order their familiars to fight her one-on-one and yet Gouto would scold her for using Nue to knock out a couple of the assassins. She had never questioned the existence of a double standard until now.

Dahn was furious, but he could still spare a few compliments. "Y-Yer pretty good, Devil Summoner, confusing my Taromaru like that… I don't do this often," he said, whipping out his sickle nunchaku again, "but it's worth pullin' out to show you the pain we Fukoshi can dish out!"

Although he was in the middle of aiding his fire-wielding brother, Jack Frost could still hear the fight and sense the power within Kotone's curly-haired opponent growing. Raidou wasn't oblivious to it, either. Everything she had heard of Dahn so far pointed to him being a great warrior and a great leader, but up until this point she hadn't felt such from him at all.

Now Dahn's aura glowed red orange, and his presence became overwhelming to the point that Raidou felt like vomiting, not because she might not be able to match his might but because the spike in his power was so sudden and sharp that it dizzied her. It reminded her of Louis and his energy back in Shin Sekai, only with Louis it seemed as though he had controlled his power, let it sink in slowly so that her sensing of it was gradual.

Raidou's temples were struck with a searing pain. It burned for a moment, and then it flared, spreading to her face and chest and legs until her vision was filled with white diamonds, sparkling in and out of sight until it was almost all she could see.

"Brother – Raidou–" Akane thought of rushing to either of them to stop their battle – she had been calling out to them since they had begun to fight – but knew they would not listen. Akane continued to cradle Pyro Jack in her arms, her shoulders slumping as she continued to watch Raidou writhe on the floor.

"Ho-no!" Jack Frost squealed, leaping towards Raidou, who didn't seem to notice that she was down on all fours in pain. "Cool down, hee!"

The heat was still intense, but it subsided a little with Jack Frost's power, and when Raidou recovered her vision she spotted Dahn with his eyes closed, concentrating on his spell and clutching his head almost as if it was causing him pain as well. The devil summoner forced herself to stand, hand on her sword's hilt as she contemplated on whether she would run it through Dahn while he was out of focus or not. Her head turned instinctively to Akane, whose presence she had barely noticed with Narita's since they were transported to the Fukorutsubo, and saw even from afar the hopeful look in her eyes. She couldn't kill a human in front of his family.

Raidou reared her clenched fist and punched Dahn in the face.

Dahn spat out blood, holding the left side of his face as he jumped over his feet in an effort to keep his composure. Still wobbling, he glanced at Raidou in surprise. "Playin' dirty, now, are we?"

"You depend on spells and your familiar too much," Kotone retorted.

"Said the kid who needed fluff to fight a bug," Dahn shot back.

"Hoooo…!" Jack Frost squealed in anger, jumping off his summoner's back. "I'm hee-Jack Frost, ho!"

Dahn waved a hand at the demon with mild irritation and shook his head vigorously. Kotone thought of a wet dog shaking the water from his fur. "Maybe I underestimated what a devil summoner could do…" he grumbled, but stretched his neck side to side and recovered soon enough. "If I have to go through you to get to Akane, though, don't think I won't!"

Sickle nunchaku in hand, Dahn rushed at Raidou once more and gave it another swing. The devil summoner felt insulted; he used the same attack as his first. Did he really think she was so easy to defeat? Hadn't he tested her mettle enough? Again she kicked him as she backflipped, and soon she learned that her mistake was to emulate him, because he foresaw her counterattack and caught her foot, showing great strength as he lifted her by the leg and tossed her to the side.

"Jack Frost, Dia," Raidou called out, and received an energy boost in reply. With the pain in her leg vanishing for a moment, she jumped up and ran at him with her sword, hoping to at least knock him out with its hilt. He deflected her attacks as expected, and as she thrust her sword at his shoulder in the hopes of immobilizing him, Dahn sidestepped and caught her left arm, having been extended so as to balance herself, and managed to twist her around so that he had an arm around her neck and a sickle to her face.

"I'll be takin' my sister now," Dahn's whisper tickled her ear, sending an aggravating feeling of helplessness through the devil summoner.

"No." Raidou pulled herself forward and struck Dahn with a backward headbutt to the face, causing him to curse out loud and grab his nose in pain. Taking advantage of his distraction, she went around him and jabbed her sword's hilt at his head.

To her surprise, he only shouted a few expletives; normal opponents, even some demons would have seen stars already. His head certainly was thick. Maybe surrender would be an option to him now, Raidou thought as she kicked his sickle nunchaku away and drew her sword to the tip of his nose.

Dahn opened his eyes to the sight of steel. "Wh-What just happened?" His eyes flew to his weapon on the ground. "What kinda trick d'you pull, huh?"

As soon as the disbelief left Dahn's lips, the world around melted. The green of the insect wings and the black webs dripped like wet paint until they were once again standing in the receiving room. Narita and Akane glanced down in surprise to find that Pyro Jack was no longer in the latter's arms.

Kotone summoned the Jack Brothers back into their tubes and withdrew her sword. "That spell must have drained you of energy if you can no longer maintain the Fukorutsubo spell."

Dahn frowned, but soon it was consumed by his apathetic grin. "Heh... Sorry 'bout that. Guess I wasn't takin' you serious enough – that one don't count." He eyed her cautiously again, acceptance flashing across his face. "They sure don't call you a Devil Summoner for nothin'. I'll be takin' you real serious next time. How 'bout it? You up for another round, right?"

Raidou zoned in on his grin and wondered if he meant it about taking her seriously. In the past, Rasputin had been almost frivolous when dealing with her, but Dahn was bordering on total aloofness even after his defeat. He was either hiding his irritation or he didn't hold grudges at all, and that was impossible. All humans held grudges. Still, Kotone nodded. "If you will name the time and the place."

"Stop it!" The slamming of chair legs broke the two fighters out of their taunting. It was Akane, standing and pushing the chairs aside as she neared them in a show of – no, it couldn't be anger – exasperation, maybe. Fear was a familiar sight on Akane, but not this. Anything implying impatience was so foreign on the woman that it seemed as though another Raidou from the future was possessing her. Dahn and Kotone didn't hide their surprise, and this was enough for Akane to revert to her usual sorrowful countenance. "Dahn…" she said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder, "It's okay… I – I did have dreams for the future, but…"

Dahn squeezed her hand. "Akane…"

"It's okay. I've made up my mind. If it's for the village's sake… Besides, I've caused Raidou and the people of the Capital enough trouble." Akane hung her head, and at that moment Kotone didn't doubt that the two truly were brother and sister. The despair on Dahn's face upon hearing Akane's words of surrender mirrored her own. "All I have to do is accept my fate. I'm going through with the Marriage Ritual."

Dahn clenched his fists so tightly that had he not been wearing gloves, his palms would have bled on through. "Akane, you're my sis." It was clear he was trying not to grow angry again, but he failed. "There's no way I'm standin' for that! Don't just sit there and let it happen – custom or no damn custom, I ain't puttin' up with them anymore!"

Akane glanced up to her brother for a moment, unaffected by his raised voice, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Dahn…"

Kotone felt as though she were intruding, as though this wasn't something she was supposed to see, but she looked on in curiosity.

Dahn reached out for his sister and squeezed her shoulders, his jaw shaking. "Listen. The village's future can go hang if it means you're gonna cry! Them villagers'll just sit and watch – so I'm the only one that can do anything, right?"

"No, Dahn, listen… I have no choice but to accept this…" Akane shook his hands off but covered her face, realization dawning in her eyes. It was soon replaced by resolve, however, and she shook the tears away, her lips trembling. "Be reasonable…"

Dahn would hear none of it. "Maybe I couldn't do it today, but I'll save you, Akane. I…Listen. I'm gonna become King Abaddon, y'hear?" He tilted his sister's chin upwards, hoping he could give her all the hope he stored within. "I've made up my mind. You're gonna be okay!"

Akane nodded, a small shred of hope in her eyes, but realized her mistake soon enough and gasped. "Wait...! What does that…Dahn? You're not going to do something reckless, are you?"

Dahn's reply was interrupted by one of the earthquakes that had been racking the capital of late. By the time the shaking ceased, he seemed to have forgotten all about comforting Akane and turned to Raidou. "All right, little miss Devil Summoner. I hate to see my sis cry, so you win today, all right? Lucky you. But I'll tell you now – when the dust settles, it's gonna be me," he pointed at himself with what appeared to Kotone like a half-hearted sneer, "King Abaddon, who wins. So don't get cocky, okay?" His attention returned to his sister. "I'm here for you, Akane. I'll become King Abaddon and save you."

Gouto, having been reassuring himself of his and Kotone's overall safety after the quake, frowned. "_Save_?"

Dahn didn't hear the cat and waved his hand in a similar fashion as the rest of the Fukoshi Raidou had encountered before. Kotone's vision rippled again, and soon Dahn was gone. Akane grabbed after him, but she only swung at the air. "B-Brother!" she called out helplessly, "What is King Abaddon? Answer me! Hey…!"

"Miss Akane, if you've seen your father or his other assassins perform this spell before, you should know that he is gone."

Wearing shock all over, Akane glanced at the devil summoner. "Raidou – you…my father…?"

"Boss – Mr. Narumi and I recently returned from Tsukigata Village. Lord Akijiro informed us of the situation, Miss Akane," said Raidou, confirming the older female's suspicions.

Akane tucked her curled behind her ears again, a habit, Kotone noted, often apparent when she was nervous or ashamed. "I see…I…I can't blame you if you despise me for lying about my name."

Kotone couldn't help but find that odd. Despise her for such a small thing? Of course, it would have been easier to understand the situation knowing she and Dahn were siblings, but it could never be cause for abhorrence. Being raised in a household of summoners and a household of assassins, both on the beck-and-call of the Yatagarasu – how could they be so different?

Councilman Narita sighed before Kotone could appease Akane's worries. "This sham of acting as her father has all been a waste."

Akane would have tucked more curls behind her ear had there been any more. "As you know, my brother is now a traitor to the Tsukigata family. If he's found by a member of my clan, he'll be executed. I thought that maybe I could find him before anyone else did and make him see reason... You saw what my brother is like, so I thought – I thought you might be able to capture him and bring him to me. I'm sorry… I know I used you… I caused so much trouble for everyone here… I'll leave now."

Kotone felt an emotion tug at her as she listened to Akane's words and realized it was growing irritation. The woman was so frail, so apologetic, so ashamed of herself, always. She wanted to knock her upside the head and tell her to stand up for herself, but she didn't want to embarrass her before Councilman Narita and she knew they could barely even be considered friends. That and her father told her never to give unsolicited advice to "just acquaintances".

"If those are your wishes, Akane, I must agree to them." Narita faced the devil summoner sternly. "I warned you before, Raidou. You have to know where to quit. I'm telling you this for your own good. You've learned of the Marriage Ritual… Let that be the end of your dealings with the Tsukigata clan. Consider yourself fortunate to be an outsider. You wouldn't want the bugs to swallow you up, would you? Hah… Like the Tsukigatas."

Raidou had expected scornful derision, an _I told you so_ of sorts both to Akane and herself, but the Councilman seemed thoughtful; melancholic, even. The way he had chuckled at the thought of being swallowed by a bug – it wasn't out of amusement. It was almost as if he were recalling an old memory, as if Akane and Kotone and Gouto weren't in the room at all.

"We'll see, sir," Kotone couldn't help but reply, and she almost covered her mouth afterwards for it. There was no longer a need to challenge the old man. He was weak, she could see now, vulnerable; she just couldn't tell where yet. It wasn't necessarily Akane that made him this way, but it had something to do with her. Perhaps he had been affected by Dahn's mention of his truance?

Narita was too sullen to care. He shrugged at Raidou and said to the girl who'd been his daughter for a few days, "Take care, Akane. You and I…we will most likely never meet again."

Akane stepped forward and held Narita by the hand, seeing the dirt on his white undershirt caused by Dahn's violence. There were bruises on his neck where Dahn's foot was only some minutes ago, she was aware – she took care of Dahn after his daily training sessions, before, and now knew the bruises caused by different types of blows.

"Thank you…" said the girl who was truly a stranger to him, "for all you've done for me."

Akane dropped his hand and exited the receiving room hastily, leaving Kotone with a quiet Councilman. It was curious how, by seeing his weakness, she was able to gain true respect for the man. She wasn't aware of the circumstances that led to his desertion of the Tsukigata clan, but certainly he couldn't have been just an ordinary coward to have lived in that horrid place before. Raidou bowed, more meaningfully this time around. "We'll take our leave as well, sir."

Narita seemed to realize that she was still there, and eyed her as though telling her to wait. When he finally collected himself, he spoke. "You'll…You'll take care of Akane, of course."

"Of course."

* * *

Kotone pulled her head from out of Narumi's closet, coughing and waving the dust away from her nose and mouth as she slammed it closed. There were certainly no mahjong tiles in there.

Raidou and Gouto had brought Akane to the Agency after little to no parting words with Councilman Narita, and after explaining what happened in the mansion to Narumi, said boss decided that they were to act as bodyguards to Akane from that point on until her wedding, and that they would take the trip back to Tsukigata village the next day. Kotone would have liked to stay home first, explore the Capital and visit Kaya and Rin, whom she hadn't seen since she left for the Kuzunoha village the year past and whom she hadn't had the chance to visit since her arrival, but Narumi's plan was substantial.

It was doubtless that Dahn was on the watch for them despite having only been defeated. During their discussion, Gouto had said that the Abaddon of legend was a fallen angel who tortured those without God's seal and drove them to despair, but he was also known as the Locust King. There was clearly a connection between the 8th Fukoshi clan and this Abaddon – a disgusting connection, thought Kotone, _bugs_ – but besides that there wasn't much to go on. It puzzled Kotone how Dahn could think that he could become a Locust King. He knew his insects well, that was certain, but that didn't give him powers worthy of the title.

And what Akane had said, _"It is every daughter's destiny in the Tsukigata clan to wed Lord Tento, our god. The Tsukigata clan owes him our existence – if Lord Tento desires my hand in marriage, what can I do but give it to him?"_

Destiny. It weighed so heavily on Kotone's mind that she forced the thought away before her attempt at understanding it drove her to madness.

"G-Gah! Raidou, what are you doing here?" Narumi was sitting up on his futon, pulling his blanket up to his mouth, but Kotone needed to see only his eyes to find his shock. The man rubbed his eyes and grabbed the alarm clock from beside his pillow. "It's almost an hour before midnight!"

"Hello, boss," said Kotone, looking at the particles of dust revealed by the pale moonlight phasing through the window. "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep. I searched the case files for something I might solve to wear me down and remembered your mahjong tile request."

Narumi continued to stare at her in disbelief. "It's almost an hour before midnight!"

"I know, boss," said Kotone with some amusement. She understood that it was rare when anyone possessed her stamina. "I'll leave you to your rest now. Forgive me for waking you."

Narumi rubbed his eyes a little more and watched her retreating figure. In the haze of his sleepy mind, he remembered that at her age, he would be out with his friends at this time. But she didn't have too many friends. She hadn't even dropped Kaya a line since she arrived – ever focused on work, that was Raidou. "Hey," he called before she closed the door. Kotone peeked her head back inside, hat still perched on her head, and it was one of those moments when Narumi remembered that the little heroine was human, too. "If you need time to think, the roof'll do you some good."

"Thank you, boss."

Kotone unbuttoned her cape from her neck and wrapped it around herself tightly as she leaned against the rooftop railings. Now that she was on the roof, she didn't actually want to think. If she tried, silly thoughts would fill her head, like perhaps Nagi was so pale because she only came out at night and the white moon would shine on her the way her mother loved having the sun on her face. And then she would correct herself, thinking of course not. Nagi is pale because she isn't Japanese.

Foolish thoughts like that – it was the fault of the stars littering the night sky. It felt the way someone feels whenever they are around their parents, no matter how old they are – childish, not that Kotone would understand. Her conversations with most of her adult acquaintances never branched into such a topic.

Kotone strained her neck watching the sky. No dung beetles or grasshoppers, but the stars did seem to twinkle quite a bit tonight, almost as though they were diamonds dropped into the ocean like coins in a wishing fountain –

Raidou whirled and met her blade with the curve of a sharp sickle, its end almost touching her nose. Her cape gave a small flapping noise as it was blown to the side by a breeze, and then it fell to the ground.

She jumped and, using the railings as a point, somersaulted in the air over her assaulter and landed behind him. He was already facing her.

"Dahn Tsukigata."

"Heh." He gave her only a grin and slashed again. Raidou opted not to give a kick this time and gave her blade a little more credit, using it to stop Dahn's weapon from reaching her.

"So…" Dahn began, throwing his sickle nunchaku down. Her speed with that sword would turn it into an endless fight tonight. Deciding to throw a punch instead, he continued, "Fancy meetin' you here, summoner."

Kotone ducked from his fist and kicked his feet out from under him. Still with sword in hand, she pointed the tip of her blade to his nose once more. "If you are here to take Miss Akane, I wouldn't suggest it. You are still tired from our battle this afternoon, and as its winner I am bound to have more energy left in reserve than you."

Dahn frowned, staring at the tip of her sword again. "…Fine. But let's talk. That's what Akane wanted, right?"

"She did, but you've proven too stubborn. Talk about what?" Kotone asked, an eyebrow creased in sparked curiosity. "There is nothing we have in common that we could possibly speak of."

Dahn snorted. "'Cause you think I'm a country bumpkin, s'that why?"

"Of course not," replied Kotone. By all accounts, she was a country bumpkin, too. Only the presence of her father and her time in the Capital had weathered down her own accent. "It's because you—"

"Then let's talk."

Kotone frowned. She wasn't going to be tricked into speaking with him just to say she didn't discriminate – but now that she thought about it, it would be interesting to know what was on his mind. Too long had she fought first and asked questions later, or perhaps it was the lack of sleep talking.

"Very well," said Raidou. "Talk."

Dahn shot her a look, his eyes nearly coming together at the sight of her sword. "You have conversations with people while pointin' that in their faces?"

"You don't expect me to trust you."

"I'll give you your personal space, summoner," said Dahn, rolling his eyes at her. "Fukoshi's honor."

Kotone would have protested, but he had already backed away, and was standing against the rooftop railings with his back turned to her. His speed aside, it wasn't wise or very polite; she could have killed him on the spot, but perhaps he knew she was an honorable Kuzunoha and wasn't the type to do such a thing. Generally. "You know, everyone thinks you're a brute."

"Wow."

Kotone stared at him. "Wow?"

"Is that how y'get to know people better? Insult 'em? Or is that how you devil summoners get cozy with your familiars?"

Kotone sighed. Was he going to be criticizing her all night? She had come here to watch the stars; not please a man whose pet insect had tried to kill her. His father had asked her to capture him and return him to the village. She should have been capturing him – but given how he had escaped her blade before she could use it to pin him to the spot and 'talk', she might not have been able to that night in any case, she reasoned, at least not without some effort. "I speak only the truth."

Dahn shrugged. He didn't take things personally too often. "What do _you_ think of me, Raidou? That's yer name, right?"

Kotone continued to burn her eyes into his back. "Overconfident sometimes" – not that she would truly know – "last time, without reason."

Dahn grinned, glancing back at her for a second. "You just tell it like ya see it, don't you?"

"I don't understand how telling you you're very strong despite how you lost to me is going to help you."

"Me neither."

Kotone eyed him curiously. Was he drunk? Or perhaps friends with that Louis character? He had a way of making no sense that reminded her of the young blond foreigner. "What do you hope to gain from me? I won't hand over Miss Akane to you."

Dahn faced her again and rolled his eyes. "Your ears broken or somethin'? I said let's talk. S'not like you're so busy or anythin'."

"I am," Kotone corrected him. "I like to watch the stars at night. The sky is clearer above my village – though this roof has its advantages."

"Then–" Dahn took some steps towards her. When he got her comfortable enough, she would see it his way, too. "–let's watch the stars."

Raidou narrowed her eyes at him, pointing her sword at him before he could get too close. He stayed in his place and seemed not to plan to go any further, however, as he raised his eyes to the stars. "If you look up from here every night… Don't you just see the same thing?"

Kotone shook her head at his foolishness. "When I was a child, I was of the impression that the stars changed places every night. They would play a game where you were tasked to find all the shapes they wanted you to find, and once you did, you would receive…a wish."

"Did you ever win?"

Kotone wondered why this man was humoring her, but she hadn't spoken of her life in the village before her training began in a long time, and it felt good. The nostalgia was creeping in, but it felt good. The fact that he tried to kill her only hours ago nagged at her, but some part of her reasoned, hadn't his father, Akijiro, as well? "My father taught me the game. Naturally, after I had named all of the shapes I could see, he would declare a brand new wish in my possession…"

Dahn watched her expectantly. "But?"

Kotone was surprised to find his eyes on her. "…But what?"

"Don' know," said Dahn, his gaze distant. Perhaps he hadn't been looking at her after all. "Just sounded like you were gonna add somethin' else."

"…When the elders chose me to take my father's mantle," said Kotone, her eyes on the hilt of her sword, "to work to earn my place as a Great Summoner, I was eight. Every day two hours after school I would be trained to the bone, to the point where I collapsed in my bed when I returned home. I wasn't able to watch the stars as much, anymore…at least, not with my father."

For a moment, Kotone thought Dahn had finally disappeared – or fallen asleep. But when she looked, he was still there, looking back at her. "How did he die?"

Kotone blinked and turned her gaze back to the stars. His eyes were always too intense. It was easy to match in a battle, but under the guise of carrying a normal conversation between the two of them… "You would ask me to share something so personal in your first civil conversation with me?"

Although it was only their first time speaking, Kotone realized that Dahn had a habit of shrugging in an aloof manner that made her want to say something more. "You started the sharin'," he said. "Figured you'd wanna finish it."

Kotone appreciated the chance to speak of her childhood, but nothing past that. "It was my father's wish that I take his place as Great Summoner should he lose the capability, and as fate would have it, the clan leaders believed me the only child with enough potential to take my father's place. Had I not been chosen, I would have been a disgrace to my family; the honor of becoming one of the Four Great Summoners has always been passed down from father to son – and daughter, now."

Dahn appeared thoughtful, forgoing the fact that she didn't answer his question. "So you followed what yer dad wanted, even if it almost killed you."

His wording was not appreciated. "If you mean to imply that I regret it, I don't."

"Uhh," said Dahn, suddenly on the roof ledge across Raidou. He looked almost uncomfortable. "That's enough talk for one night, don'tcha think?"

"If you say so," said Kotone, deciding Dahn Tsukigata must know Louis after all. She wouldn't even try to keep up with him now. "If you attempt to return for Miss Akane, however…"

"I wouldn't be too cocky if I were you, Raidou," Dahn interrupted, moving closer to the edge of the building. "Somethin' you might wanna think about – my Fukoshi ain't the only ones trailin' you."

Raidou straightened up. "And who else is trailing us?"

"Either way, you'll see. I can still save my sis," said Dahn, and somehow Kotone knew he wasn't going to say anything else on the matter. He didn't look back as the world shifted. "Well… Bye."

"Goodbye," she said, quirking an eyebrow, but didn't attempt to follow his disappearing act from the roof. Raidou decided she would have to look into spells that might be able to counter that 8th Fukoshi clan vanishing spell and ward it around Akane soon to shake off any more pursuers, but Gozuki and Mezuki would have to do with guarding her for the evening.

* * *

If there was one thing Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th hated besides insects, mathematics, and condescending adults who had no right to be, it was waking up to the sunlight. She appreciated cool, cloudy mornings and was especially fond of dark, rainy days when she could hear the hard battering of raindrops against the roof, and her cousins running into the house and saying school was cancelled for the day. Sunlight never did her much good, except cause her to sweat even further during training and have her clothes weigh heavier and feel tighter for it.

Kotone lay sprawled out on her ivory white futon, the pillow she slept with between her knees tossed somewhere on the floor near the door. Bright light glared in through the windows and the useless drapes; it was just her luck that where her futon was situated perfectly in an angle from the window so that the breeze cooled her face every night was the same angle where the sunlight hit the room directly every morning.

She batted away at the air as though it would cause the sunlight to disappear, and was surprised for a moment when it did. Clouds had moved in to cover the sun. She raised her head, glancing at the red insect cages sitting on to of her closet. Luck? Maybe.

Sense returned to Kotone in fleeting waves. Why was there sunlight? Here in the Capital, she always woke before the sunrise so as not to have the heat on her face. The clock she kept under her pillow which she struggled to turn over and reached for said—

"Nine o' clock?" Kotone jumped up and raced to the door, grabbing her cap at the rack beside it but still barefooted as she made noise running down the stairs and appearing at the Agency's main office in a disheveled manner only Narumi had ever seen her, once.

Narumi and Gouto were having buttered toast at the table, and were already watching expectedly when she arrived. She stared back at them, calmly analytical as always, but with some confusion. "What is the meaning of this, boss? Gouto? Hours past sunrise and nobody woke me."

"Mornin'," said Narumi, clearly suppressing a laugh. "Nice pajamas, Raidou."

Gouto swished a tail and shook his head. "Narumi complained about your quest for the mahjong tiles late last night, so we thought it best if we let you sleep in a bit."

Kotone looked down and remembered that she was still wearing her favorite pair of pajamas made especially for her by her mother, orange with the Kuzunoha clan crest all over. Orange, she admitted, was such an ugly color, stark and bright and called for too much attention, but she couldn't help but love it. Mostly because oranges were tangy and her favorite fruit, not that anyone had ever asked, of course.

"I will change into proper clothing soon enough," said Raidou indignantly, but took another glance at the clock. "I could have caught up on sleep in the train, boss. I had planned to drop by Dr. Victor's and try his new sword fusion technique…"

Her sword. Raidou remembered the fight with Dahn the night before; that it was the reason why she was tired and woke up four hours later than usual. And just as she did, Akane walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray of coffee, water, and two plates of more toast. The perfect lady, it was almost as if she were gliding towards Gouto and Narumi as she set the cups and plates down.

"Good morning, Kotone," said Akane, assuming it was acceptable to call her by her female name in the Agency (she didn't yet understand why she was Kotone _and_ Raidou, but she didn't believe she had the right to ask). It was odd seeing the younger girl in anything but her black uniform and cape, but she supposed she was odd for thinking that; no one could always be so composed. If Akane didn't know how deadly Kotone was with a sword, she might have even called her near adorable out loud. "I heard you coming down… I thought you would like some buttered toast as well. I couldn't make anything else…"

"Good morning, Miss Akane," replied Kotone, bowing as usual. She appreciated that Akane hadn't laughed at her clothing as the two males in the room did. "Please don't allow the boss and Gouto to force you to work."

"Oh, no," Akane smiled. "This is the least I can do for all your help."

Gouto and Narumi smiled at Kotone triumphantly. "See, Raidou, we didn't force her into anything. Anyway, you still have time to ask Victor to craft you a new sword."

"That isn't all, boss. I still need better materials for Victor. Bargaining takes time."

"I'll go with you, then," Narumi shrugged. "I'm pretty good at haggling, if I do say so myself."

"Agreed," said Gouto. "Now, if only he could haggle his debts…"

"Why do I have a feeling Gouto might be saying something insulting?"

"Perhaps you are getting to know him quite well, boss. In any case, you can't accompany me. Someone must watch over Miss Akane."

Akane wrung her hands at the mention of her name, uncertain as to whether she could enter the conversation again. "I could just come along… I've been out in Tsukudo-Cho on my own before."

"That was before Dahn knew your exact location, Akane," said Narumi, crossing his arms over his chest. Akane had seen that many times before – with Dahn, her father, Councilman Narita. Men couldn't be bargained with. "In fact, I'm surprised Dahn hasn't shown up on our doorstep yet."

Perhaps the rooftops, Kotone thought, but that matter had been dealt with as for the night previous. This was why she needed a new blade forged.

Something about Raidou's presence made Akane want to bargain, however. "But I'd like to buy more ingredients," she pleaded. "For the trip – it will be a long one."

Narumi and Kotone caught each other's eyes, and they needed no words to understand the internal debates occurring within each other. On one hand, with her training to be a wife, Akane was sure to be a wonderful cook. On the other, Dahn could be anywhere, and Raidou knew this more than anyone.

But Kotone was hungry, and she wanted nothing to do with Narumi's gentlemanly bread and butter. "It would be best to have our own food on the way…so that we are satisfied until at least tomorrow, and are not forced to eat food tampered with by those villagers." She glanced at the Tsukigata at the table. "No offense, Miss Akane."

* * *

Narumi surveyed the marketplace in Fukagawa-cho with some disdain. Too many people. Too hot. They had just arrived and the midday sun was already grating on his nerves. He would have removed his hat to fan himself, but he was in the presence of a lady and Gouto (through Raidou's unreliable translations) probably wouldn't have ever let him live it down. He wouldn't be here if this market in Fukagawa-Cho wasn't the only place where no one would report a conspicuous young lad (actually a girl) traipsing around, shopping for materials to forge better weaponry.

"Well," said Kotone, stepping out of the safety triangle they had created with palpable haste, "my search begins. Boss, please take care of Miss Akane. I will find you when I see materials worth haggling for."

At one point or another in the previous year it didn't scare Narumi how shopping was still something looked forward to by Raidou, who seemed barely female when she first arrived because of her stiff demeanor. What had scared the detective was how shopping for materials for new weaponry delighted the adolescent, changing her merely pleasant demeanor to almost eager. (Although still not as eager as when she thought Nagi might be a summoner.)

"Wait a minute, Raidou." Kotone froze at Narumi's call, whirling around with her lips set in a line. It was the first he had seen of any displeasure she might hold towards him. She wasn't challenging him, he was sure – she was much too polite for that – late puberty, perhaps? A rebellious side of her she didn't know about? Either way, he continued. "_You_ should keep an eye on Akane."

"But Miss Akane and I are in the market for different things, while you are well-versed in matters of haggling for prices in any situation," Kotone said with persuasion she was unaware of possessing. Or was it that keeping company with Leanan Sidhe and Lilim again was augmenting her own skill? "Accompanying Miss Akane is a task meant for you."

Akane shuffled forward. "I…I can search the market for ingredients by myself."

"No," Narumi and Raidou said in unison, turning back to her. They glanced at each other, debating with each other this time, and the older man acquiesced. His assistant did have a point – but flattery, really? He never knew she had it in her. Something akin to pride blotched in with mild irritation (as he allowed himself to fall for it) stirred within him.

"All right," Narumi said with a smile, showing none of his reluctance. He wasn't that reluctant, to be honest. All that bread and butter was starting to wear him down; not that he would admit it to anyone. He paused, glancing at Kotone warily. She didn't seem like she had brought out her mind-reading demon to know his thoughts – then again, she had the best poker face he had ever seen. Now, if only she wasn't completely incapable of winning a mahjong game even if it was rigged to let her win. "Lead the way, Akane."

Kotone and Gouto parted ways with them and soon with each other, the old soul taking Mezuki with him in case they needed to contact Raidou. Despite his feline form, the cat still possessed an excellent eye for quality when it came to weapons.

The heat and the noise didn't bother Kotone as much as it should have, considering she was clothed all in black. In the village, the Kuzunoha clan collected all the raw materials needed for forging weapons. It was better this way, the elders always said, to ensure that the Devil Summoners had more time for training instead of collecting. So the first time she had gone shopping on her own, she was overjoyed – the elders didn't like to experiment with new steel and she already knew too well the limitations of clan-issue weapons. Dr. Victor's help was always welcome when it came to fusions like this.

At the moment, Kotone was immersed in staring at two glinting pieces of steel, which would have looked the same to an untrained eye, but to those who received Yatagarasu training, possessed multitudes of different qualities. There was doubt in the back of her mind – perhaps she shouldn't have left the boss and Miss Akane alone, helpless, knowing that Dahn might be around the corner – but she brushed it off. Dahn would be too tired to fight today. He had learned from their previous encounters, she was sure. He would bide his time and strike when she was weakest, most fatigued; she wouldn't give any opponent that opportunity.

So deep in thought was the devil summoner that she didn't notice the shopkeeper staring at her with some concern. What she did notice was the familiar presence behind her. It felt like a great shadow looming over her – and it was. The sun no longer glared into her back.

"Hello," said the presence.

Beret, blond, blue eyes. "Louis," she said when she turned to see him, concealing her surprise well. "Hello."

He stared down at her with a half-smirk. She realized he had always had that half-smirk plastered onto his face, but in the shadows against the light it seemed more pronounced. It made her almost uncomfortable.

"Is there something you need from this stall?" asked Kotone, resisting the heavy temptation to look anywhere but his eyes. No one had ever kept her gaze that long – and it wasn't even intense. It was amused, and yet empty. As though nothing could surprise the young foreigner. "Or did you come to warn me?"

His smirk grew. It looked natural on him. Attractive with his power, still, and yet eerie. As though admitting that she was drawn to his energy was such a great sin – she couldn't understand it. Thankfully, she didn't have time to ponder on it as he spoke. "Kotone," he said. "I didn't think it possible for you to be selfish."

Kotone frowned. Louis appeared to expect this, but when was he ever shocked? "What?"

"You mustn't take offense," said Louis. "It's only human to possess flaws of this nature – nobody is perfect."

"Your equivocations are lost on me," Kotone replied, and then added, "although perhaps that is their point. What is yours?"

"Hubris is also a sin," Louis continued. "But in this case, you might be right to have it."

Kotone stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

He was pleased by this. "Remember that sin often resides closest to the heavens. Goodbye, Kotone."

Raidou watched him leave with that checkered bag of his. She thought to follow him, to demand answers, but it was pointless. Louis was an enigma, and with the amount of energy he possessed, maybe it was better that he remained so for the time being. He had never sent her in the wrong direction before, though this 'riddle' of his was even more cryptic than the last. And what was that about her hubris?

"Talkative friend you've got there," said the shopkeeper, agreeing with Kotone's disturbed expression. "So, what is it exactly you're looking for?"

Kotone glanced at him, and just in time – a small Jiromaru had flitted onto his shoulder. She had fought so many of the big ones that she could easily tell what they were when small. Feigning surprise, she tilted her head and stared at the empty space behind him. "Is that…?"

"Huh?" the shopkeeper turned around, and his movement was enough to scare the luck locust away. Towards Kotone, at first, who dodged, but it was flitting away somewhere else, seemingly with purpose. Without another word to the shopkeeper, Kotone followed.

She was unsure how to use the birdlime and the insect cages. It felt awkward enough having two of the red boxes pulling her down by the waistbelt, but if it helped improve her luck, she would have to think about capturing more.

The luck locust flew ahead of her, taking her through twists and turns through the marketplace and out of it, always just out of reach. It seemed to slow when she did, pick up the pace when she did. Was it baiting her, aware that she possessed a cage capable of imprisoning it and draining it of its stolen fortune?

Finally, when Kotone had cornered it into an alley, the luck locust flew high up into the air, past a building where she could no longer follow it. Raidou frowned, staring into the sky as though that would will the insect to return, but it was her senses that returned to her.

"Kotone!"

The summoner whirled, finding Gouto and Mezuki panting heavily as they reached her.

"We've been chasing you since you fled the marketplace," said Gouto, and with the way his tone rose, Raidou already knew she was in for a scolding from her great ancestor. "What in the – Narumi?"

There were bodies scattered on the ground. It was a normal sight in Fukagawa-Cho, Kotone had learned early in their first arrival at the Capital. She had wandered from a busily haggling Narumi and come upon seven men that day, either knocked out or barely conscious, and before she could summon Lilim to delve into the minds of those still awake, Osamu Kogure had arrived, a little shocked to see her there, and informed her that this was nothing of note; simply members of some minor gangs trying to wrangle control of the districts Satake lorded over.

"Oh," she had said then, back when she had been a mite apprehensive towards the idea of appearing too unknowing in the ways of the world to older men who would attempt to belittle her for it (though in retrospect, Osamu might not have done so, having been present when she defeated two of Satake's bodyguards). Narumi had explained to her the workings of Satake and his brood, but Kotone didn't quite understand the concept of organized crime until she'd seen it up close at that moment. "Carry on, then."

He'd proceeded to warn those with enough sense to remember that with Satake's dominance of Fukagawa-cho, there came order. And they had nodded, pulling up their near-fallen comrades and scampering off, too happy to escape with their lives for indignation.

Now there were seven men again, sprawled on the ground save for one – Narumi. He sat leaning on an upright knee, his face bloody with an eye beginning to swell up. There were stains on his suit, but Raidou could tell that most of it wasn't his. Officer Sadakichi had said as much in the previous year, and she didn't doubt it was the same now.

Kotone rushed to the man. "Boss," she said as he blinked, realizing she was before him and not a figment of his hazy consciousness. "Where is Miss Akane?"

"Appreciate…the concern there, Raidou," Narumi half-groaned, half-grumbled, holding his jaw with a grimace. Well, his face hurt like hell, but he felt energized enough to speak. He threw an irritable glance at the unconscious grunts. "These brutes jumped us. I didn't even realize we were being trailed until Akane needed to use the ladies' room and we went looking, and, well, you can guess the rest. I…managed to to take some of 'em down, but…if I can just…get up from here, I can…"

It was clear that Narumi's body felt like lead at the moment. He could barely lift a hand to wipe the blood off his face. Kotone understood; her early days of training had taught her thus. "No, boss," said Raidou. "You will only strain yourself." The devil summoner took in every detail of the brutes and their uniforms. None were familiar. "Why would they take Miss Akane? This is no Fukoshi trick. Dahn Tsukigata would never attempt to save his sister this way."

"It was planned. I'm sure of it, Miss Kotone," said Mezuki, arms resting on the hilt of his sword as he speculated. "After meeting such resistance from Mr. Narumi, these men wouldn't insist on kidnapping your guest unless they had intended to do so for a time."

"Mezuki's right. And they definitely don't wear these uniforms to feel like they belong," Gouto agreed, jumping over the thugs. He inspected them carefully, and Narumi was surprised at how he could wait for a cat to finish its meowing before giving his own input and still take himself seriously. When he could find nothing of note, the cat continued, "Kotone. Someone's got to answer for this."

"I understand."

"I don't," Narumi sighed, but watched patiently as Raidou removed a tube from her chest and—

"Mom-hee!"

Hiruko, Narumi remembered with a shudder. Creepy little thing, like guts put together in a little gut-colored cup with hands and feet as hands and a creepy head inside. Why Kotone had kept the thing when its kind almost ruined the Capital last year, he could not understand.

"I can see it," said Narumi, wondering if they were back in the Fukorutsubo, but it was too hot for them to be. "Why?"

"I requested that Hiruko reveal himself," said Kotone, patting the demon with almost a hint of cooing in her voice. It nuzzled the little of its head that protruded from its body into her hand with something like a purr. Narumi felt a cold shiver run up his spine. If she found that cute, he would hate to see what she found grotesque. Besides bugs, anyway. Who would have thought?

"What can I ho-do for you, mom-hee?"

Kotone smiled. While she found Jack Frost and Pyro Jack incredibly adorable, there was a charm to Hiruko's whispery, whimsical and yet ravenous self that she found brought out the doting girl in her. Or perhaps it was that she rescued him from a bleak existence in Waden One last year, from being simply a parasite among parasites to becoming _her_ Hiruko that made her want to protect him.

Raidou approached one of the groaning men and turned him on his back with her foot. "Wake up," she ordered, nudging him with the tip of her shoe.

The thug groaned painfully again, reminding Raidou of the Yomi-kugutsu. The memory was still fresh in Hiruko's mind as well, and the demon gasped and flew before Kotone. "Don't worry, mom-hee, I'll eat it, ho!"

The man opened his eyes at the sound of such an inhuman tone of voice and screamed. Narumi cringed, and Mezuki gave a slight smirk. Gouto didn't look too happy, however. Getting up on his elbows, the thug backed away, crying out, "H-heeelp! What is that abomination?"

Hiruko choked on a sob. "I-I'm not an abomination! I'll…" His four fists clenched tightly together. "I'll hee-eat you now, ho!"

"No, Hiruko," said Raidou, pulling the demon back by one of his four wrists. "Strike Fear into his heart."

"What?" Gouto frowned. "Kotone! Hiruko, no!"

"The spell is quick and painless," Raidou reasoned.

"To Hiruko, maybe. Evil Smile will haunt the human forever!"

"That would be exaggerating," said Raidou. "He will forget, but the lesson is learned. This is for his good as well as ours. Perform the spell, Hiruko."

Hiruko was obedient to his human, always, and floated carefully over to the thug, who suddenly had not the energy to even attempt to crawl away. Once they were face to face, Hiruko's black abyss for a mouth closed to form a line, which stretched out and widened to form a smile.

Having understood only Kotone's end of her argument with Gouto, Narumi wondered what Hiruko was up to as the thug's face changed, from gruff in his sleep to bewildered at the demon, and now terrified didn't even seem to fit his expression. It was all the man could do not to soil himself. His fear was unfounded, and if he thought hard enough about it, he would have realized that there wasn't much cause for it, but the terror that engulfed him was so overwhelming that he shook visibly. "What—I—no—"

"Who sent you?" Raidou asked, Hiruko spinning cheerfully behind her. Narumi caught the grin on his face and felt a pinch of fear strike him from deep within. He looked away and the feeling dissipated just as soon, but that smile… "Why did your companions kidnap the girl?"

"I – I don't know!" the thug whimpered, covering his face in his hands. If anything, the fear increased, mostly thanks to Hiruko's smiling. "Boss wanted Satake's dame, and—"

"Boss? Give me a name."

"I—I can't! He – he's—"

The thug fainted. "Looks like his heart gave out," Narumi remarked. That smile definitely beat torture, though maybe the effects were too heavy for a thorough interrogation.

Raidou shook her head in disappointment and checked for a pulse. "He lives. Although I doubt consciousness is in sight."

Hiruko narrowed his eyes at the thug, his smile disappearing. "Can I ho-eat him now, mom-hee?"

"Others will deal with him, Hiruko," replied the devil summoner, but she tossed him a croquette she'd been saving in case Narumi's haggling would take too long. Hiruko gobbled it up gratefully before returning to his tube.

"Satake's dame," Narumi repeated despite his increasingly painful jaw. His energy was dissipating again. "Those thugs thought Akane was you, Raidou."

"Apparently," Kotone agreed, pushing her growing anxiety away. When Kaya had first been kidnapped, she was irked that such a crime could occur before her own eyes, but she'd kept a level head. She believed she could find Kaya, and there wasn't much pressure despite the fact that Kaya came from a wealthy family. Not compared to the pressure she suddenly felt now – not only had they promised to protect Akane, but Dahn was on the loose and looking for his sister. Should he discover that she was lost under Raidou's charge – Kotone felt something she hadn't known since she was a child bubble within her: embarrassment, though she wouldn't admit it soon.

"Those thugs are long gone," Gouto said gruffly. He was still upset by Kotone's use of a demon.

Narumi ignored the cat and asked Kotone the question that had plagued his mind since she arrived. "How did you even find me, Raidou?" He liked to think she had some sort of internal radar for trouble, but if so then she would have sprung to his rescue last year when Sadakichi and his men had beaten his face to a pulp in the same manner (though not without putting up a fight, he maintained).

"There was a luck locust. I followed it, and it felt though it wanted me to find—look." Kotone's eyes followed a shining bug flitting about above one of the thug's heads. She removed two tubes, summoning Dominion and returning Mezuki. "Dominion, please carry the boss home. That luck locust is getting away."

"No way," Narumi protested. "Akane was under my responsibility just as well."

"All right," said Raidou, too hasty for arguments.

"Whoa!" Narumi grasped the air for balance as he felt two arms scoop him up from the ground. His body ached, but he could vaguely feel 'Dominion', whose presence seemed to energize him again. The ground was much farther from his eyes than he was used to, and he grabbed for something above him to assure himself that he wouldn't fall and go splat all of a sudden. Narumi shot Kotone an uncomfortable glance. "Not that I wanna look a gift horse in the mouth, but…"

"Your superior is very fidgety," Dominion remarked to Kotone, but was ignored along with the human he was carrying. His summoner was much too busy following the insect that glinted in the sunlight to listen. They were fortunate that the insect took nooks out of the way of main roads, or humans would have already caught sight of a floating man following a conspicuous, caped boy. "Perhaps he would be more comfortable if he could see me?"

"In my experience," Kotone replied to Dominion absentmindedly, sprinting to follow the locust and fumbling for the pinch of birdlime she stored within one of her cape's inner pockets, "that would be unadvisable. Given his gender and yours."

"What?" Narumi glanced down, floating leisurely in comparison to Raidou, whose nose was beginning to sweat visibly. "What gender? Whose?"

"Very well," said Dominion, quietly chuckling at Narumi's attempts to understand the situation.

Gouto was still quiet, until he remembered the narrow alley they were running through, cramped by houses and weeds, and realized they were nearing the side of Fukagawa-cho they most frequently visited. "Stop!"

Raidou stopped instinctively and turned to Gouto. "I have the birdlime ready. I will attempt a capt—"

"_Kotone_," said Gouto irritably, his tail flicking with the sharp utter of her name, "we're nearing the bathhouse area. Narumi needs to walk on his own."

Raidou glanced at the luck locust, slowing but steadily moving, and then to Gouto. She understood that it wasn't the time to argue with him again. "All right, Gouto. Dominion, set the boss down, but aid him as he walks."

"Glad to know we're getting my opinion on how this works," Narumi muttered, but said nothing when he understood why. He limped towards the thickly populated area of town behind Kotone, who continued to follow the luck locust at more languid pace. He wasn't sure if it was Raidou or the luck locust who'd slowed down in consideration of his situation.

"If you're going to catch it, do it now," said Gouto, his lithe feline body still ready for a chase but his mood spoiled.

Kotone noted his anger and swiftly brought out a Tsukigata insect cage, smeared the birdlime from her fingers inside and held it out to the bug. At the back of her mind, she realized that keeping the cages against her belt meant keeping the insects close to her stomach, her weakest spot, but she shrugged the thought away successfully and focused on the insect.

The locust neared her, flitting around Gouto and Narumi before setting its sights on the cage. It seemed to recognize the cage, antennae touching (Raidou stopped herself from squeezing her eyes shut), but turned and flitted away before Raidou reached out to clamp the cage bar shut. "No!" Kotone watched it fly up and away, disappearing into the sunlight. "Why didn't it enter? There was birdlime, and…"

"Did you see the color of its outer face?" Narumi asked, straightening his posture as he spoke with invisible help. "That photog Akijiro showed us had a silver mask on the bug. This one was bronze."

"So it wasn't a luck locust…?" Gouto wondered aloud.

"A decoy," Kotone thought. "Is that what you mean to say, boss? That I have been chasing a decoy?"

"The 8th Fukoshi clan has countless types of insects at their disposal, right?" Narumi thought back on his conversation with Akijiro. "A little Jiromaru…who knows how many more types look like that?"

"Perhaps Lord Akijiro knew, boss," Kotone suggested. "He must be keeping an eye on us. That locust was much too accommodating, don't you think, boss? It led me to you, and–"

"Kuzunoha?"

Kotone had almost forgotten how tall Satake really was. He stood taller even than Narumi, with broader shoulders and a confident stance, but today there was something different about him – ah. He wasn't half-naked. The Kantou-haguro gumi leader had been taking his daily stroll when he saw the familiar devil summoner, who quickly strapped the insect cage to her waist and covered herself with her cape.

"Hello, Satake," she greeted him, hoping memories of how they last encountered each other would not resurface in Gouto's mind and further his annoyance towards her. "How are you?"

"I should be askin' that question," he said, looking past her to eye her boss with a grimace. "So how'd Narumi get his face rearranged? Someone finally get tired of all that smirking?"

"Laugh it up," Narumi grumbled. "Funny story, really. I put up a fight trying not to get a client kidnapped by one of your enemies. They got this idea in their head that she was your 'dame'."

Satake didn't laugh, though. He crossed his arms. "Didn't I tell you to be careful? I wrote a letter and everything. I don't write letters."

"If it makes you feel better, it was more of just a note," Narumi gibed. If he wasn't drunk on the magic Dominion's constant Dia spells caused, he would have treaded more carefully with the yakuza boss, but Satake didn't mind his joking as much as the swelling on his face.

"Boss, boss!" A man Kotone recognized as one of Satake's consiglieres ran up from behind her. He bowed before speaking in a collected tone laced with panic. "Kuzunoha's been kidnapped."

"Hello," Raidou greeted him.

"Oh!" he jumped at the sight of her. "It's you. But–" he looked extremely confused. "We just received a ransom note for the boss's dame."

"Okay," Satake started, and his men stiffened. This was his _I'm about to hit something, so dodge if you're in the way_ tone. They knew it well. "One, Kuzunoha ain't my dame, and two, they're a bunch of idiots."

Kotone nodded in agreement. "As boss has said…the woman they kidnapped was a guest at the agency. They must have been tracking us – they saw her in the boss's company and must have thought she was your…" Raidou appeared uncomfortable saying it, waving her hand as though to imply it so she wouldn't have to. "Your _dame_." Now that she had it out of her system, she turned to the consigliere. Down to business. "What do they demand in exchange? Who are they?"

"The note claimed no ownership," the consigliere replied, telling his boss, "but they wanted control of the Red Light district."

Satake scoffed. "That ain't gonna happen soon."

"Of course not," the consigliere offered.

"Where did the idiots want the deal to happen?"

"By the docks," the consigliere replied fearfully. "At the church in Harumi-Cho."

"Those thugs must be pretty brave if they hold their base near the Navy," Narumi remarked. "Or incredibly stupid."

"I'd say they're pretty wise in that aspect," Satake laughed wryly. "If they live anywhere close to Fukagawa-Cho, they're dead."

"Anyway," Narumi cleared his throat, licking a busted lip. "I think you might be right about Akijiro, Raidou." To Satake, he said, "Thanks for the info. We needed it…and now we'll be off."

Satake's expression as he looked at Narumi could only be described as disgust. "You should get some rest, Narumi," he said with something resembling pity. "You look like hell. A dip in the hot bath should do you some good."

"I agree, boss." Wiping his blood did little to help his face, after all, and she assumed he must have been tired, having begun with legwork again only recently. "I can take care of those brutes on my own…especially because Miss Akane's kidnapping was my fault. I shouldn't have left you two alone, knowing Dahn Tsukigata wasn't the only one having us followed."

"No," said Narumi, then did a double take. "Wait, what? How did you know?"

"I…" Kotone paused. "Satake sent us a note telling us, didn't he, boss?"

"They must've hit your head harder than we thought," Satake chuckled. "Listen, Narumi. Shut up and get some rest." And that was that. To his consigliere, "Get my shoes. I'm going to Harumi-Cho."

Kotone glanced at Satake curiously. "Satake, your arrival might only validate their claims."

Satake shook his head; it was too late and he had already made his mind. "No offense, Kuzunoha; you and I both know you've got the goods, but they don't know that, and I've got a reputation to keep. It wouldn't do any of us any good if those idiots thought I was hiding behind a girl."

"I understand," said Kotone, though she wondered what 'the goods' were. Did he mean demons?

"I'll join you, boss," said the consigliere as he arrived with Satake's shoes. "You'll need some backup."

"Nah," Satake dismissed him with a wave. "Stay with Narumi. Make sure his face doesn't get any uglier, all right?"

Narumi's lip curled, but the consigliere could only spare him compassion. "You got it, boss."

Despite her efforts during the Red Cape incident, Kotone had never been treated with adulation past a mere 'thanks' from the Kuzunoha village elders, the Herald of the Yatagarasu, and her favorite dessert baked by her mother upon hearing the news. But when Satake walked out of his main headquarters in Fukagawa-Cho, she imagined that it was how she might have been treated had her heroics been made public. Everyone who passed him bowed, greeted him, inquired as to his health, and made way for him. It was all sycophantic, she understood, and she was glad from of the obscurity that kept her from possessing the same irritation Satake was beginning to harbor. He liked the respect, of course, he'd said to her in one rare moment when no one approached him, but sometimes he had 'enough of the ass-kissing'. It was why he appreciated the Narumi Detective Agency.

"In the future, I'll make certain you needn't involve yourself in this, Satake," said Kotone, looking up at him after he sternly returned some woman's eager greeting.

Satake brushed her off with another wave. "They were gonna kidnap some frail eventually. I actually figured it'd be Narumi's dame, given the rumors circulating about how you keep his company – _not_ that you're my dame. But you know the gossip." He shrugged. "S'fine with me, really. Been a while since anyone tried gettin' one over the Kantou haguro-gumi. Gotta remind 'em who's boss, right?"

"Of course," Kotone agreed. "Better now than later."

"Exactly."

Kotone backtracked through the conversation and thought out loud, "Boss has a _dame_?"

Satake smirked. "Where've _you_ been? Sure. That reporter frail. She's a friend o'yours, too, right?"

"Reporter frail. Miss Asakura? The boss's dame?" The first thing that came to mind was that Tae would definitely go berserk at the thought of being anybody's frail or dame or _woman_, but the past week's occurrences provided her with a better understanding, a new angle. Gouto (who prowled beside her quietly) had made quips about them. It was no wonder they didn't mind sitting so closely together on the train to Tsukigata village, and _that_ was why the boss didn't mind her rummaging through his office. "Oh, yes. I hadn't realized she was already his dame."

"No man troubles himself for a woman's safety unless he's hers," said Satake, and then added as he motioned to himself, "or doin' a job. 'specially not your lazy boss. He's got a wise head, but the reason why he hasn't risen through the ranks is because he's so lazy."

"To an extent, he is fond of the obscurity," Kotone explained, realizing it was a similarity they shared. "Having people breathing down his neck is rare, but when it occurs, he is easily frustrated. Boss is happy where he is."

Satake laughed. "And anyway, he's got his hands full with that tough reporter of his. So, tell me about this frail we're saving – it's not that Daidouji kid again, is it?"

"No. You're one of the few familiar faces I've met since I arrived. Boss and I have been very busy with our case, so I've yet to call on Kaya."

"Well, you should," Satake told her. "S'only proper, if you're friends."

Kotone was about to reply when she saw the route they were taking. "Where are we going?"

"Streetcars," Satake answered with a tone. Shouldn't it have been obvious? "Can't walk to Harumi-Cho, Kuzunoha."

"I have a faster way, and we needn't pay."

"I don't pay for streetcar passes."

"We won't be cramped."

"Now you're talkin'," Satake grinned. "Whaddya got in mind, Kuzunoha?"

"I want to hear this, too," Gouto spoke up.

Kotone removed a small yet bulky flute from her cape. It was crudely made and looked old and worn, bits of the wood flaking off at the ends, but she held it confidently. "This is the Flute of Rhone." To Gouto, she said, "I haven't seen our friend in a long time."

Gouto was determined to show his disappointment, but he let this one slide. "If you can call that extortionist a friend."

"He's nice enough when you get to know him," said Kotone. When she turned to explain her plan to Satake, he was watching her very, very oddly.

"Did I just catch you talkin' to your cat, Kuzunoha?"

Kotone blinked. She had grown so accustomed to Satake knowing nearly everything that she forgot he didn't know about Gouto. "I come from a long line of powerful devil summoners."

"I know that. What's it have to do with the cat?"

"Trapped in the cat's body is my great ancestor's soul. He was the original Raidou Kuzunoha, but we call him Gouto now."

Satake stared at her, seeming to process all the information first, and then he threw his head back and burst into laughter.

Gouto wasn't surprised. Kotone didn't join the merriment. When the yakuza boss noticed this, he calmed himself down (people usually joined his laughter out of fear, but apparently he'd forgotten who he was dealing with). "You're serious, aren't you?" Kotone nodded. Satake's eyebrows knit together as he chuckled. "No wonder he stormed into the bathhouse that one time."

"I still don't find that funny."

Satake raised an eyebrow. "Did the great Raidou-cat say something?"

"He says he did not find it amusing at the time, and has yet to."

Satake guessed he could question the truth a bit more, but more bizarre things had happened. A sixteen year-old girl in a towel and a schoolcap beating two of his fully grown men in a fistfight, for example. He could only laugh.

When he was finished, Raidou chose a secluded area of the docks, her flute firmly in her clutches.

"What's this big plan o' yours, anyway?" Satake asked just as Kotone neared her lips to the instrument. "This better not be a waste of time, Kuzunoha."

"It isn't," Raidou replied. "I'm about to call on an old friend; he is called the Large Tarrasque, but he swims faster when you refer to him as the Great Tarrasque. It's a male issue, I think. A demon, a bit larger than three skiffs. Try not to react when he arrives; noisy fear angers him, and quiet fear inflates his old ego. Only alcohol or—"

Satake sighed. Devil summoner or not, heroine of the Red Cape Incident or not, she was still a teenage girl. Or maybe she was just taking the chance to talk; it didn't look like she had a lot of friends outside people she met for work. Poor kid. "You're rambling," he said outright. The way her face flushed in realization was revenge enough for her actions the last time they met. "Get to the point, Kuzunoha."

"All right," said Kotone, regaining her composure. "Act nonchalant."

"Gotcha. Get playin'."

Satake certainly knew how to be bossy. But what did she expect from a yakuza boss? Raidou put the flute to her mouth and began to play.

Satake wanted to grab the Flute of Whatever Hell That Demon Came From and break it in half, and then take those pieces and break them into even smaller pieces, and then use them as firewood for the funeral pyre he would build for his ears. The flute produced a high-pitched, squeaking sound, like nails against a chalkboard. He couldn't distinguish one note from the other. On his more aesthetic days, he might have been able to tell himself that there was beauty in the sheer horror the sound produced, but right now it just annoyed the hell out of him.

Before he could break the flute, however, the water began to rise. Raidou played even louder, her terrible sound making music with the roaring of the rushing river.

Finally, a great shadow rose from the water, only it wasn't a shadow. It was an ox's head with a turtle's body and a rat tail, and its bellowing shook the unstable wooden docks on which they stood. "Who _dares_ summon the Large Tarrasque while he slumbers?"

Satake stared at the demon quietly. He remembered fighting those zombie things during the Red Cape incident, but this was the first time he'd faced such a large demon. So ugly, too; such a bitter expression on its face. If this was what Raidou dealt with on a day-to-day basis, he could understand why she held no fear for his men.

"Greetings, o Great Tarrasque," said Raidou with extremely formal speech, accompanied by a bow.

Something rose from the demon's throat, shaking the ground again. When Satake came to his senses, he discovered that it was the Tarrasque's hearty laughter. "Why, hello there, sonny!" the turtle looked down at Raidou and her feline ancestor fondly. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me!"

Kotone smiled cordially. She definitely still had her guard up; it was the same smile she wore every time she entered the bathhouse. "Of course not," she said, tossing him a Jin Dan. His ox mouth caught it. "I returned to my village to train. It was time-consuming."

"I understand, sonny," said the Tarrasque, then noted Satake's presence. "And who might you be?"

"This is Mr. Satake," said Kotone. The honorific felt foreign on her mouth; she hadn't used it since she defeated her descendant and went for a drink with the man and her boss (though drink for her meant orange juice), after which they were required to nurse Narumi's hangover and became something like unstable friends, and he said she needn't address him the same way his people did. "We require your aid to reach the Catholic church in Harumi-Cho."

"Oh." The Tarrasque was in deep thought. "Is this where you fought that dark summoner?"

"Rasputin, yes… Although I doubt he resides there now." Surely memories of his defeat would deter him from returning there, Raidou thought, thinking back on the android's half open face, his silver skull and electronic red eye crackling with electricity.

"Ah. Well," said the Tarrasque, baring his teeth at Satake in what appeared to be a smile, "It's nice to meet you, young man."

"Same to you, Great Tarrasque." Satake returned his grin. He didn't know the custom for demons, but he still didn't bow for anybody he didn't know well enough to respect. "I got a question. Why can I see you when I'm no summoner?"

"Untrained humans can see me now because I'm powerful enough to will it," said the Tarrasque. "I can make it so that you are the only normal human who sees me."

"When you aren't in a drunken haze," Gouto commented, meaning to scathe.

But the Tarrasque was in a good mood and only chuckled. "Then you're lucky I'm out of alcohol, great kitty! Now, jump on, children. Let's travel before any nosy humans see you two floating over the water."

They obeyed, and as the Tarrasque sped off into the river, Satake glanced at Kotone. "Y'know he calls you sonny, right?"

* * *

Kotone had always wondered about the Catholic religion. It involved one deity of three identities. There were other figures called saints worshipped, but believers insisted that these were nothing like demi-gods, because worshiping a deity other than the first was a sin. It boggled the mind, and Gouto simply told her not to dwell on it. She never tried asking the Herald, thinking it might offend whom the woman represented.

Satake languidly strolled up to the Catholic church. Kotone wondered if he should be so proud, but surely he couldn't have become the Kantou haguro-gumi leader for nothing.

It was eerie inside, reminding Kotone of the day she was informed that she was poised to start training for the role of Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. She was brought to an empty room in the labyrinth of their village temple with only the trunk of a great tree inside, and speaking to her were disembodied voices, their great echoes making her unable to recognize them. Her father had told her of those voices in her youth, that when the time came, she would discover that the voices were little more than the Kuzunoha clan elders who'd watched her grow. But within the temple they were supposed to be guided by the gods and their very own ancestors, the Raidou Kuzunoha of glory days long past (except, she learned later, for Gouto).

"Hey," Satake's voice echoed out to the seemingly empty church as he slammed its doors shut, breaking Kotone out of her reverie. "Time's a wastin'. Come out, come out, idiots."

"I didn't think you'd come bounding to the rescue so quickly, _boss_," said a hoarse, high-pitched voice of a man.

Satake continued down the long aisle to an altar, and as she caught up with him and followed his gaze, Kotone saw a balcony at the back of the church where choirs were positioned to sing hymns. Leaning against its intricate wooden railings was a tall, wiry thing of a man who certainly looked the part of a peon: hooked nose, naturally narrow eyes, and a wide mouth upturned in a wicked grin.

"Hishida, you bastard," Satake muttered, staring up at his former underling with nothing but exasperation. "Only an idiot like you could make a mistake like this."

"I wouldn't talk like that to the man who had my frail," Hishida said with a laugh, motioning to something behind him. Out from the darkness came two men, carrying a woman bound by thick rope to a small chair. Her mouth was gagged by cloth, and yet, Satake noted as he watched the unfamiliar woman, she didn't move or scream. She was poised, dignified even in her state of captivity. Behind her veil of collectedness, however, he could see the woman glare at her captors and look down to him pleadingly. No, not to him – to Kotone. Raidou.

"If I'd known your weakness was a frail like this, I'd have baited you and won Mannen-Cho out a long time ago!" Hishida continued with a cheesy cackle. Satake tried not to roll his eyes for the girl's sake. Her kidnapper had worked for him for a few years until the Red Cape incident rolled around and revealed his true colors; Hishida had attempted to use the panic to overthrow him and rise within Kantou haguro-gumi ranks, but Satake had given him a good beatdown in response. He didn't think he'd be seeing the idiot this soon.

Satake was about to respond when Raidou spoke. "You may now release her."

Hishida, patience already worn thin by Satake's lack of a more desperate reaction, turned to the young man with a flash of anger in his eyes. "Who the hell are you? I should have your tongue cut off for speaking out of turn, little brat."

"I should cut your head off," Raidou replied.

"Pretty extreme, but I don't see why not," said Gouto with a smirk. "As long as you do it yourself. No demons involved."

"I can do that," Kotone said with a small smile, grateful for Gouto's forgiveness.

Hishida mistook the smile for a smug one. His growl echoed through the church walls. "The stakes just went up. You want your frail, give me the Red Light district along with the damn brat and his big mouth!"

Satake crossed his arms. "You really think this plan's gonna work, don'tcha?"

"Or maybe you don't wanna leave this place alive," Hishida snarled, his tone dangerously low.

"That would be unadvisable," said Raidou, always ready to provide input. Perhaps it was better that Hishida thought her a boy, like most. No doubt it would save on time that would have been wasted criticizing her gender. "Satake's murder would send the Kantou haguro-gumi into a frenzy and start a gang war that would draw a multitude of casualities, including innocent civilians. The police normally turns its head at gang affairs, but the uproar such a thing would cause would force their hand. Not," she finished when Hishida's face was crumpled up with fury, "that it is in your capability of harming us, to begin with. However, you might give it some thought."

Satake grinned. Maybe stating the obvious was okay when it came to idiots like Hishida who just didn't get it. "Let the frail go, Hishida. Maybe you'll escape with _your_ life."

At Satake's words, Hishida took in deep breaths and attempted to regain his composure. "Oh? We all know Dame Satake's been hangin' out with that private dick Narumi. Is this woman really just a frail?"

Satake and Raidou exchanged slightly amused glances. The former said to Hishida, "Gimme the girl and crawl back into your hole already. As much as I'd love to bump gums with you chumps all day, I'm a very busy man. Managin' Mannen-Cho, the Red Light district and all that, you understand." The Kantou haguro-gumi boss feigned an expression of sudden epiphany. "Or maybe…you don't."

Hishida slammed a fist against the railings. "I should kill you now!"

"You should try," Satake offered.

Kotone glanced at her companion and whispered, out of Gouto's hearing range, "My demons and I might smooth things out. You needn't lift a finger."

"Isn't that illegal?" Satake asked. "Not for me, obviously – I couldn't care less – but for you. You said somethin' like that before."

"Hishida is interrupting an important investigation," said Kotone. She knew it was against the rules, but she couldn't help it. "It needn't be."

Satake smirked. "It'd be fun watching these mooks piss their pants with fear, but I like takin' care of my own problems. Feel free to join me."

Raidou nodded, and Kotone wondered if she'd injured Satake's pride. And then she remembered pride on its own, and hubris, and Louis. Her hubris, he had said. Sin resides closest to the heavens.

Catholics believed in a heaven too, didn't they?

Kotone tried to imagine Louis as she repeated his words in her mind and found she could remember that conversation very well, almost as though _he_ were repeating the words in her mind at that very moment. Had he been warning her about this?

"Kuzunoha, you there?" Satake waved a hand in her face, untying the sash on his robe.

"Yes," Kotone answered apologetically. "I have not participated in a true fistfight since I defeated your men in a towel. But I will join you."

"I've always like you for your moxie, Kuzunoha," said Satake with a smirk, and granted the same to Hishida. "You're outmatched. Last chance."

Hishida burst into laughter, his men joining him. Akane ignored them and continued to stare hopefully at Kotone and her friend, the reason why she'd been taken. They had kidnapped her afer taking some damage from Narumi and interrogated her about 'Satake', demanded to know how a frail like her had ensnared the yakuza boss. They only jeered when she replied that she didn't know what they were talking about in the least.

"Laughin' ain't gonna solve this problem," Satake interrupted. "But hey, we don't hafta fight if you're chicken."

Hishida cleared his throat and gave only a small chuckle now. "Are you really bringing a brat into a fistfight?"

Satake glanced at Raidou and saw only a fellow fighter. "He can make his own decisions."

Grunts appeared from the sides of the church, charging at them with battle cries as though it would help them in the coming tussle.

At this, Satake threw off his robe, leaving him only with his trousers. Above, Akane glowed a bright red. She'd never seen a man's body before – Dahn and his friends didn't count. And all those tattoos, and muscle, and _man_. She felt as though she were sinning just by staring, but the young woman couldn't avert her eyes. How Kotone stayed calm with such a vision before her, she could only attribute to her being Raidou.

Raidou, having seen Satake half-naked on several occasions, barely bat and eyelash and subsequently removed her cape. Gouto gathered the black and blue clothes on the floor to himself and promised to look after them, telling his descendant to make quick work of the offending humans.

She rushed into the fray, paving the way for Satake. It had been a long time since demons attacked her outside the dark realm, thanks to two friends she'd made during the Red Cape incident. They would have loved a raw fight like this, but they were busy handling 'family matters' (or so the notes in their tubes said) and she respsected them enough as elders not to summon them forcefully.

Men stormed down from the staircase leading to Hishida and Akane above, and Satake felt almost irate as he watched Raidou punch and kick and _beat_ the hell out of the goons that were supposed to be his stress reliever for the day. He didn't like sharing in this case, even with his friends, and he didn't appreciate dealing with just leftovers.

Halfway through the stairs, Hishida's goons learnd about teamwork and decided to jump Raidou all at the same time. Instinctively, she ducked, rushing only at the thug directly before her, and the two others fell forward to Satake. The yakuza boss was all too happy to pick up the slack, grabbing the two men by their collars and messily bashing their heads together.

Raidou glanced up from kicking her opponent down for good, and then behind to check on Satake. "There are more coming."

He snorted. "I'd enjoy this better with a front row seat. D'you mind?"

"Oh." It was new for Raidou to have someone want to take on the trouble instead of her, but she welcomed it. Stepping aside over a groaning body, she answered, "All yours."

Satake grinned and surged forward, dodging a blow to the side and carrying a man by the waist before tossing him off the side of the stairs. He punched two more in the face at the same time, gave them another blow to the back of the head as they fell forward for good measure, and then stepped on a man's foot to keep in him in place and pummeled him to the side with a swing of his thick arm. There was a headbutt somewhere there and more thugs being tossed off to the pews below until they reached the top of the stairs. Satake wondered why Hishida even bothered.

Hishida held a knife to Akane's throat. A scream rose there but she held it back, knowing not to give her captor what he wanted. Instead, she showed her fear to Raidou and Satake, the latter of whom tensed visibly at the knife so close to her neck. Akane didn't know if she would be hurt or encouraged by how Raidou simply stared at the weapon.

"This church is a place of worship for some," Raidou said cautiously. "Are you certain you want it sullied with your blood?"

"That's it!" Hishida growled, and even Satake shot Kotone a reproving expression as the traitor raised his knife in the air, ready to plunge it into Akane's heart.

He never got that far. As soon as the knife was over Akane's head, Raidou pulled out her revolver and shot at his hand. Hishida screamed painfully, dropping his knife as he fell to the floor.

Satake lifted Akane and the chair and brought her as far away from Hishida as possible. He ripped the rope apart with his bare hands and untied the gag on Akane's mouth. "You okay? 'Course you're not," he answered his own question in surprise. The woman had been cute at best from afar, but up close, she was beautiful. Short, curly hair, little nose and pursed lips. Even with her just looking back at him, he could tell she possessed a quality to her many women lacked – a certain elegance that came with her apparent frailty, a dignified manner of existence that was both innate and bred in her. A highborn, most like. And her hazel eyes – they looked so sad, and so hopeful. No one had ever looked at him with hope before – only fear, from the general populace, or respect, like his men and the Narumi Detective Agency. But Satake wasn't known for getting lost in some classy woman's hopeful eyes instead of his business, ever-flourishing, so he tore his eyes away from her and turned to Raidou. "Hey Kuzunoha, did you kill him?"

Raidou was staring down at Hishida, who was whining about his bleeding hand. "Maybe I should," she replied, returning her gun to its holster. "But I think that pleasure belongs to you."

Satake stole a last glance at Akane, who looked away when he did and resorted to tucking curls behind her ear. He stood and went to kick Hishida's side. "Hey."

Hishida groaned another time, clutching his bleeding arm, and whimpered at Kotone. "Who are you?"

"Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. Devil Summoner and Protector of the Capital."

"Hey, hey, I'm the one askin' the questions," Satake said, raising his voice. When Hishida looked back at him, the yakuza boss asked, "You ready?"

Hishida didn't hide his confusion. "Huh…?"

Satake gave him no reply exept for a foot to the face, and even Raidou's eyes widened as Hishida flew from his position on the floor, off the railings and landed on the pews below, shattering the long wooden benches that were repaired only a little after the unexplained destruction there (Raidou had watched the reparation process a little before she returned to the Kuzunoha village). Kotone followed him to the railings and peered down. Gouto had deserted their things and approached Hishida, prowling about his body.

"Alive," the cat announced. "But unconscious. The police can finally charge someone for that ruckus you and Rasputin caused last year, and we get our dame back."

"Perfect," Kotone replied, approaching Akane. "Miss Akane, I'm sorry we took so long – we were uncertain as to who had taken you. Did you come to any harm?"

Standing, Akane smoothed the wrinkles on her dress and gave a difficult smile. "No…for all their crudeness, they were too busy laughing at their own triumph against…" she glanced at Satake briefly, "to think of me."

"Oh, yes. Satake, this is Miss Akane," Narita, Kotone almost said. "Miss Akane, this is Kenzou Satake."

Akane bowed, smiling nervously. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Satake."

Satake returned the bow. "Pleasure's all mine, Miss Akane…"

"She'd prefer it if nobody knew," Raidou whispered to him.

He understood. A little mystery every now and then didn't hurt, as long as she wasn't some kid below eighteen possessed by an evil spirit from the future, determined to avert the inescapable end of the world (Narumi had told him as much when he was drunk). "Miss Akane."

"Thank you for rescuing me," said Akane after a long, heavy silence. She was still looking to every which way in an attempt not to look at Satake's chest. Or stomach. Or arms. "He…Hishida…he really didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

Kotone glanced at the table across the stairs, filled with bags of food. That explained those.

Satake shrugged. "Not that I don't trust Kuzunoha to kick sufficient ass…It's just, you gotta fight your own battles. Get what I mean?"

Akane nodded vigorously, though knowing her, Kotone didn't think she did. But Raidou supposed that everyone wanted to make a good impression with new acquaintances. "Oh, yes. Of course."

They started down the stairs, and Akane couldn't help but gasp at all the unconscious men. She'd heard the brawl from above, but she hadn't actually imagined it to be like this.

"I'm sorry for causing all this mess…"

"S'fine," Satake waved her worries away when they reached the ground floor. Or it felt like he could. "Don't worry about it. These goons needed to learn their lesson anyway."

"And they did," said Kotone, wearing her cape around her like a protective blanket and tossing Satake his robes.

With Satake's chest almost covered again, Akane was able to speak more clearly. "By the way… How is Mr. Narumi? He was injured in his attempt to protect me…"

"He'll be fine," said Satake. "Bet he's enjoying the hot baths."

"No doubt," Gouto remarked, catching up with them as they made their way out of the church.

"There is that," Kotone said with a small smile, and when the sun got into her eyes as she exited, she could have sworn she'd seen Louis, passing her with a smug grin, but when she lowered her head and pulled her schoolcap forward, nothing.

Akane saw the afternoon sun and sighed. "I'm sorry. We were supposed to leave today and – I've delayed us."

"Miss Akane, it really was no—" Kotone stopped at the sight of Satake frowning. "Is something the matter?"

Satake was ignoring her. Instead, he turned to Akane and said, "Stop apologizin', will ya? Stand up for yourself. You're not gonna get what you want with a buncha sorry's."

Akane looked down. "I'm—" she stopped. "All right."

Walking ahead of them, Kotone whipped out her Flute of Rhone. She'd wanted to say those words to Akane herself, but seeing how they only furthered the drop in the older female's confidence, perhaps it wasn't the best way to go about things. But Satake had never been one to beat around the bush.

As Satake watched Akane tuck her curls behind her ear and think of how someone who could be so empowered was so meek and apologetic, the river roared and out came the Tarrasque, grinning toothily. Akane felt her knees buckle.

"Goin' somewhere, sonny?"

* * *

Again, sorry this took forever. I didn't want to put the scene with Dahn on the roof at first because Dahn seems like a fists first, talk later type of person, but I played the game again to get a feel for the atmosphere and despite his rough demeanor towards anyone who might oppose his quest to save Akane, he tries, later on, to persuade Raidou to let him do what he has to not with a fight but by showing Raidou what he needs to see. So I thought that it wouldn't be so weird if Dahn tried to talk to Raidou first a few times, and THEN showed Raidou what s/he needed to see after being refused. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to persuade Kotone in this chapter as much as he can because he let Kotone talk too much and was annoyed by her talk of following her father's wishes (to which he reacts negatively because he has daddy issues these days) before he could. Dahn's an impatient guy; I can see him walking out on a conversation like that. Or maybe that's just me. Feel free to share your thoughts! :D

Next chapter quote sneak peek time!

_"Whaddya wanna hear, summoner? That I believe in you?"_

REVIEW!


	7. PreWedding Jitters

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

HEYYY GUYS! I know I'm half a year late and I'm so sorry! No excuses. I'm not sure if I said that last time too. But my inspiration rises and falls in intensity. I'm definitely going to finish it, though!

Review-replying time!

**Nitewind**: I've thought about it, and I'm not going to write a Kotone version of the first game, but I may write a sort-of sequel where she may encounter the Fiends. Just a possibility though! I toyed with the idea over the course of writing this hehe.

**minaseiko1**: Like I said to **Nitewind**, I might write a sequel where fem!Raidou deals with the Horsemen :D I'm just thinking about it, though. If you played the game, you know that Raidou is required to face them later on, but I mean something different from that. And thank you! One of the reasons I wanted to write the fic was to write more interactions among the characters because everyone seemed to deal with Raidou individually instead of all getting along together by themselves. My favorite interaction in the 2nd game was the movie cutscene with Narumi and Tae after Taotie though, if you saw that, haha!

**Loyalty**: I'm glad you liked those parts! And yesss! If I were Akane, I'd probably have fainted already TEEHEE

**Lupus-Cantus-Grimoure**: Ahaha! Not really a harem, just a lot of male associates/friends, as opposed to normal girls who spend time with friends their age and sex, especially since they don't come from co-ed schools. (I think I read somewhere that during Raidou's time, they didn't have co-ed schools, even if the Alice job makes it seem like Raidou has female classmates.) And yes, Satake is pretty attractive for an adult haha!

**The Fujoshi**: I'm still working on it, and your reviews really encouraged me to go on despite my wavering inspiration! So thanks :)) Funny you should say that...I wouldn't write off the possibility of Louis being an end choice for Kotone. And you should play DS2! Tell me when you do, because it's fun :)

**Materioptikon**: Thank youuu! Raiho will be making an appearance, yes :D Later on when we're not knee-deep in the serious parts of the game, for sure!

**a review**: Thank you! As for the Kantou Haguro-gumi guys, it's really funny you should say that! It's briefly mentioned later in the chapter. But yeah, I never imagined it to go the same way as it did with the male Raidou. I think they would have thought fem!Raidou was some girl offering herself to them, and Kotone ends up hitting them because she's conservative and starting a fight.

Thanks for the reviews, everybody! And the people who put me/_Sparks_ on alert without reviewing. (Yes, that was meant to make you feel guilty. Haha! But really, I appreciate the alerts!)

Previously on Sparks:

_As Satake watched Akane tuck her curls behind her ear and think of how someone who could be so empowered was so meek and apologetic, the river roared and out came the Tarrasque, grinning toothily. Akane felt her knees buckle._

_"Goin' somewhere, sonny?"_

* * *

_Chapter 7: Pre-Wedding Jitters_

Akane didn't faint. It was easy for her to accept that the Tarrasque was a demon (something Satake wondered about), and soon the four returned the Mannen-Cho. Narumi was not to be found in the baths, however, as he'd insisted on returning home as soon as possible. Akane, Gouto, Kotone and Satake parted with unsure goodbyes and the first three returned to the Narumi Detective Agency to find a worried Tae nursing an exasperated Narumi.

"Quit your worryin', Tae," Narumi said, watching the reporter pace in his office from the couch. "I'll heal soon enough. This isn't the first time I've gotten a rough beating, y'know."

Tae whipped her head at Narumi. "I'm supposed to be on the beat, so it's _Kichou_," she drawled, "and you're not the one I'm worried about. You sent Kotone and Gouto to face a bunch of…of gangsters, alone!"

Narumi sighed. It was the _n_th time they'd had this conversation. He didn't think the opinion would come until later into the relationship, but she was like a broken record about this. "Trust me, it's like sending a lion to a wolves' den. And they didn't go alone – Satake likes taking care of his own business. And didn't you _say_ you were glad I'd stayed behind?"

Tae narrowed her eyes at him before sighing. "I know…and I stand by it, Shouhei. If anything happened to you—"

Narumi was grinning at her smugly. He looked handsome even with his bruised and swollen face, but also more irritating.

"Don't make me give you two black eyes, Shouhei."

"Yes, ma'am," Narumi laughed, dodging a punch to his shoulder. Catching Tae by the wrist, he pulled her down to him on the couch and buried his face in her hair. It was shorter than he normally liked, but it was _hers_ and so he didn't quite care. "But really," he breathed into her neck, "Raidou will be fine. She fights demons, Tae. Gangster peons are a walk in the park to that kid. And Satake—well. Need I say more?"

Tae nodded in acceptance, rare silence passing from her lips as she enjoyed the moment, but quickly shoved Narumi off. "Shouhei," she hissed. "If Kotone walked in at that moment—"

"Why would that be a problem?" Narumi honestly wondered. She should have been worrying about Gouto.

"You said it yourself," Tae replied. "She's still a kid. She sees us as her friends, and if she realized that you and I…it'll be awkward."

"Don't think so," said Narumi, remembering the night Kotone told him about Louis. Thimbles and kisses, that was Raidou. "She'll ask how long it's been, then mind her own business. Raidou hasn't even talked to Kaya since she arrived – she'll finish this Tsukigata business before she even thinks of prying, and knowing her, even then that'll be the last thing on her mind."

"If you say so…" Tae muttered, falling back down with him, only to jump nearly ten feet in the air when the door creaked open.

"Boss?"

"Kotone!" Tae smiled, smoothing out her dress, unsure of where and how to stand so as not to look suspicious. "What took you so long? Narumi was so worried."

"To death, in fact," said Narumi, knowing his assistant would catch the sarcasm and take it with good humor. "How'd it go?"

"Negotiations failed, boss," Kotone answered. "But Satake has always handled his business in…a different manner."

"Figures," Narumi laughed, but stopped when Akane entered the agency with a shy smile. "Akane! Sorry—"

"It's all right, Mr. Narumi," said Akane, shaking her head. It amazed Kotone how she could forgive the matter so easily. Kaya's kidnapping could have been blamed on her, partly, but Akane, she had promised to protect and failed. "No one could have taken so many thugs all at once in an ambush like that."

Except Kenzou Satake, perhaps. But she didn't want to insult Narumi.

"Hi there!" said Tae, stepping forward with the amiability her job required. "I'm Tae Asakura, but call me Kichou when I'm working. Which I am."

Akane bowed. "Miss Kichou—"

"Just Kichou," the strong-willed woman interrupted, wagging a finger at her. "I'm not that old, y'know, geez…"

"Oh, sorr–all right. My name is Akane."

Tae nodded, eyes squinting as though she should remember something. She did. "Right! You're Dahn's sister?"

Akane replied with a startled expression.

"Miss Asakura joined us in our trip to Tsukigata village," Kotone informed her. "In fact, she found the village when we were almost out of leads."

"Almost," Narumi repeated.

"_Really_?" Tae stood, arms akimbo. "If I remember correctly, you wouldn't even have known what the Tento Crest was for if I didn't mention it."

"Miss Asakura helped us move the case along," Kotone corrected.

Tae shot Narumi a triumphant look, causing the man to sigh. "Fine. But you're still not getting a cut."

"It's fine. I want no part in your Tawara-Ya or Ryugu debts, anyhow. Only the gods know how Kotone saved your tush from your pile of debts last year," Tae laughed, explaining to Akane, "Narumi has a habit of raking up tabs he can't pay."

"They slip my mind, I don't mean to collect them," Narumi grumbled. Raidou coughed at this, hiding a chuckle. Gouto followed, and Tae was so amused by the cat's glee that she did, too.

She had grown up in a happy home – as far as happy could get with her favorite older cousin Makiko being chosen for the Marriage Ritual when she was seven, and her father's general mood significantly dropping after that, leaving only Dahn as her true family – but Akane had never been in a place where they could laugh out loud like this. In their mansion, her laughter with the servants or Dahn was always hushed. Dahn had always said 'to hell with 'em gods and their quiet, I feel like laughin' and I'm gonna do it,' but then they had never quite seen eye-to-eye, and Dahn had only stopped teasing her for her blind obedience when he'd broken out of his teens.

In any case, Akane couldn't help but laugh. Her mirth fluttered out of her throat, butterflies enjoying their first flight, and though she covered her mouth in shock, she didn't stop until Narumi feigned offense and set his mouth to a downward u.

"Oh Narumi, don't get your trousers in a twist!" Tae teased, still laughing with Gouto and exchanging amused glances with Raidou, but Akane didn't know the man well enough and felt it was about time that she stopped.

While Narumi and Tae launched their second bout of banter, Kotone (who had always felt her input unnecessary in such a situation) noticed Akane's silence. "Miss Akane, I still haven't apologized for—my hubris," the Great Summoner spoke the sentence barely above a whisper. It had never been difficult to apologize because she'd never needed to. Not for a grave error in judgment like this. Louder, she said, "Had I not been so selfish in my desire to have a new weapon forged, this wouldn't have happened. The delay is my doing."

"Don't apologize," Akane said, startled. She didn't think Raidou was the type to – or make mistakes at all. "I love to bake…but I don't have to. I can make do with the ingredients Mr. Narumi has here."

"Ingredients?" asked Tae. Truly a reporter with an ear, she'd heard their conversation even while teasing Narumi. "If it's ingredients you need, I have an entire room in my apartment filled with them!"

"Why?" Raidou could only ask. Back in the village, her mother kept the ingredients in a storage room, but it was hard to imagine such a modern woman as Tae Asakura having a stockroom for ingredients.

"My mom visits a lot. Says I should learn how to cook!" Tae scoffed. "Because bombarding my apartment with ingredients and equipment's gonna teach me, right? Akane, Kotone, you should come over! Those ingredients will only rot. I really can't cook to save my life, y'know…hey!" she pouted at Narumi, who was nodding solemnly in agreement with her last statement.

"All joking aside," Narumi cleared his throat. "Do you really think that's wise, given what just happened?"

"Narumi has a point," said Gouto. "But Satake's move was smart – they won't be bugging any of you for a while. It's fine if you go, but keep an eye out, Kotone."

"Gouto says he'll stay here and take care of you while we're away, boss," Kotone smiled at her human guardian.

"_I _didn't say that," Gouto sighed, but his descendant didn't have such a bad idea.

"What's that? How about dinner?" Narumi said, mostly to his feline housemate. "I don't think anyone's gonna peddle food to a cat…or to a face like this."

"Oh, hush," said Tae. "Gouto's right. You need your rest, Narumi. We'll be back in time for dinner after Akane's worked her magic!"

Akane blinked in surprise at the sound of her name, having been in deep thought as to why Kotone was talking to her cat, and why the adults appeared to trust in her translations of his meowing. "I'm…not an excellent cook. Baking – and cooking, on occasion – it's just a hobby of mine."

"At least one of us likes to," Tae laughed. "Oh, or do you too, Kotone?"

Raidou jerked her head no. She was a Kuzunoha, first and foremost, and that did not entail great skill in synthesizing any sort of edible material (except eggs and steamed rice). In the realm of the kitchen, she would remain a mediocrity no matter how hard she tried.

"There. Now come on!" Tae pat Narumi's shoulder gingerly before bounding to the door. "My kitchen awaits!"

"I'll call you at Tae's apartment in case anything comes up," said Gouto. It was the first time he'd seen Kotone really converse with other females about…female things…without appearing too uncomfortable. As much as he hated sounding like Kotone's mother, there would be hope for the Kuzunoha line yet. "Have fun, Kotone."

Holding the door open for her two older companions, Raidou glanced back in surprise. That was a rare thing to pass from his whiskers, but she appreciated it all the same, these times when he was like a father to her instead of just a mentor. "Thank you, Gouto. Stay safe. Oh, and you too, boss."

Narumi slumped into his chair and sighed.

* * *

When Tae unlocked the door to her apartment, Akane thanked her and walked in with her mouth slightly ajar. A small living room greeted them at the entrance, containing (she assumed) a low table surrounded by couches not unlike the one in the Narumi Detective Agency, all covered in newspapers and stick-on notes filled with illegible writing. A plant stood off to the side, crowded by a shelf stuffed with disarranged books, leading to a kitchen with plates barely washed in the sink. Across it was a door that opened to the bedroom, which contained the bathroom and a walk-in closet past it, but Tae's clothes appeared to be all over the bed (from what Akane could see), while bonnets hung precariously on the coat rack by the door. To say it was a complete and utter disaster would not do the chaos justice.

"Don't mind the mess," Tae said with a sheepish chuckle.

Entering last, having dropped off the little materials she had to Dr. Victor (who'd said they were enough for a small upgrade) before catching up with Tae and Akane, Raidou allowed her eyebrows to furrow. Her hand moved slowly to her sword's hilt. "Miss Asakura," she said slowly, "be careful. I sense no demonic presence, which can only mean that someone's broken into your apartment. I should search it thoroughly before—"

Akane couldn't contain her grin. Tae scoffed. "It's not _that_terrible, is it?"

Raidou recognized the reporter's indignant tone; she'd used it on Narumi on countless occasions. Releasing her sword, Kotone asked, "You mean to say…that daily, this is the state of your home?" she paused, watching Tae narrow her eyes. "It wasn't my intention to offend. I thought—"

"It's fine," Tae laughed. "I guess living under Narumi's roof doesn't make you as messy as him."

"No," Raidou agreed. "If there was anything my mother was determined to instill in me, it was tidiness."

"I think it's wonderful," said Akane. The other two glanced at her in shock. Her silence made it easy to forget she was there, but they listened intently when she spoke. "It must be amazing to have such independence. Growing up in our mansion, I...never had much freedom to move about. Our help commanded the state of affairs within. Your apartment reminds me of my brother – only he could get away with doing what he wanted." Akane wore a distant smile, returning to her childhood days. "He managed to charm his way out of everything."

Dahn? Charming? Kotone doubted it highly. But he did have a way of turning the flow of conversation where he wanted it to go, not unlike Louis, whose apparent omniscience and unclear intentions unnerved her. He was a character she looked forward to seeing again, and yet hoped to avoid. She didn't understand it, either.

Tae thought it was also easy to forget who Akane was related to. From what Narumi had told Tae of Dahn and his actions, she could hardly believe the fierce-spirited young man was a blood relative of the sweet girl before her. Leading Akane and Kotone to the kitchen and taking out the ingredients Akane pointed out as useful, Tae said, "I'd rather have grown up in a mansion with servants! If you had one messy brother, imagine how it was being the only girl with _eight_."

Akane set to delegating tasks to Tae and Kotone, who followed obediently. She would have preferred to bake, but she was glad enough of the freedom to command her "own" kitchen that she simply enjoyed it. "Eight?" the assassin's daughter wiped a hand on her apron to cover her mouth with as she suppressed a giggle. "It couldn't have been so bad, Tae."

"Well, yeah…" Tae recalled the years before her brothers had all grown up and married. She looked back on them fondly, but she wouldn't go back. What would they think of Narumi, she wondered? "They did teach me to be the feminist I am now. I had to survive _somehow_."

Akane laughed with approval and turned to Kotone, smiling ever-so-slightly as she listened to their conversation. The summoner had left her cape in Akane's bedroom and rolled up her school sleeves so as to assist them. "What about you, Kotone?"

"Yeah," Tae agreed. "I'm curious – I've only heard the usual things about your village. How did you grow up?"

Kotone thought hard. People didn't usually ask about her – she was accustomed to them thinking of themselves. But she obliged them gladly. "I grew up training to receive the honor of the title, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. You see, the title is earned – when the last Raidou is incapacitated, the elders choose the most promising child summoner in the village to train to uphold the mantle, and when he or she is of age, it is officially bequeathed to her. Or him. However, my family has been able to keep the title within itself ever since the first Raidou Kuzunoha, and it would have been a disgrace for me not to receive it."

"But you did, didn't you?" Tae couldn't help but ask, even if she already knew the answer. "When Narumi said Gouto was your great-something-grandpa, I thought it was a gibe!"

"Gouto—your cat?" Akane sounded reasonably confused.

Kotone nodded. "His soul is encased in the cat's body; a punishment for a grave sin he committed during his time, though I am uncertain as to what he did. He is a great mentor and a caring friend."

"It sure puts him into a new perspective for me," said Tae. "That must be why he seemed so appalled and upset after enjoying all those Foxtails I gave him."

"Yes." Kotone's mouth twitched, tempting her to smile. "He abhors that weakness of his."

"So," Akane moved the conversation along. "The training must have been difficult, Kotone. The training Dahn underwent – there was a time he barely survived. And he was ranked first in his group."

"It was," Kotone replied. Her muscles ached just remembering again. "Every morning, my mentors would wake me to sprint through different natural obstacle courses in the forest, repeating until I could come out unscathed or I needed to dress for school, and after school, I was permitted three hours to finish schoolwork. I was required to train for combat, both unarmed and with swords and guns, until a few hours after dinner. On Saturdays, I was brought to the Dark Realm before sunrise, training to sense demons and defeat the simpletons foolish enough to attempt to ambush my masters. For weekends in general, we stopped only for meals that would last for a quarter of an hour, rest for an hour afterwards by learning the different demons, their weaknesses, personalities, and orders, and then combat again."

At the end of it all, Akane was nodding, recalling Dahn's cuts and bruises, while Tae appeared disgusted and filled with pity mixed with admiration. "Didn't you ever just want to lie down and _die_?" the eldest of them asked.

"Yes," Kotone admitted after a pause. "But only during the early stages of my childhood. I knew it was my duty; it was for my own good and the Capital's that I undergo these trials."

"Incredibly harsh trials, but they definitely paid off," said Tae. "I can't imagine waking up so early in the morning..."

Akane could, but it had been a self-imposed decision, so she could watch her brother train. He had once done his duty and trained no matter how difficult the task; she'd adored her big brother for that. And here was Kotone, having trained since childhood, same as Dahn, now steadfast in fulfilling her duty as a devil summoner devoted to the protection of the capital. Back home, though she didn't know the girl very well, Nagi was training under Geirin to become like him. Akane had been trained to be a wife since childhood – she had just never known whose wife she would become. Was she shirking her duty, being a truant, by cooking here now, enjoying the company of Tae and Kotone?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Akane returned to her senses and was greeted by a worried Tae. "You all right there, Akane?"

"Oh, yes," Akane smiled. "I was only thinking of what we were to do next."

"All right," Tae accepted for the time being. "So, Akane...what do you know about your future husband?"

"I..." She was visibly stunned by the question. "Not much. I…have never met him. I will on the wedding day."

"What?" Tae frowned. "I get that it's tradition for you to get married off, but to some stranger, really? How—you can't just stand for this!"

"I must," Akane shrugged almost coldly. It wasn't something she liked to talk about, to be honest. "It's my duty."

Tae sensed the mild hostility and let it pass. She would have argued it out, but she didn't want to fight with the woman helping them make dinner. "Well, if you say so."

"And you, Miss Asakura?" Kotone asked in an attempt to diffuse the tension. She understood Akane's reluctance in talking of a marriage to a god. Before Sukuna-Hikona, she might have thought it not such a terrible fate, but now she grimaced at the thought. "If you don't mind me saying – you and the boss have become very close over the past year."

It was Tae's turn to be tongue-tied. She hadn't expected Kotone of all people to pick up on it. "You—you know, then?"

Kotone shook her head. "Satake informed me this afternoon. Please don't be angry with him – the way he spoke of your relationship, it seems it should have been apparent to me."

Nobody noticed Akane turn attentively at the mention of Satake, and Tae sighed in relief. So they weren't that obvious, if Kotone hadn't thought of it herself. "Narumi and I...yes. I hope this doesn't change anything."

"Why would it?" asked Kotone with genuine confusion, turning to Akane for an answer.

Akane shook her head, unable to understand Tae's train of thought as well. "You two appear compatible," she said with a smile. "It's clear...that you're both very happy in each other's company."

"We are," Tae seemed to admit to herself more than anyone else. She was glowing now, though she glanced at Kotone with some guilt. "Honestly, I...thought you might feel something for 'im, Kotone. Something beyond your apprentice-employer dynamic."

Kotone let out a short _ha_ of laughter that Tae wished she could have recorded. Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th had never appeared so amused. Oftentimes it seemed she was only tolerating them.

"Why would I feel anything for the boss? He..." She thought of the best way to describe it without insulting Narumi. He was a good man and a great friend, intelligent and suave, kind, but he was too messy, he smoked and left his cigarette butts in the container to the point that it was so dusty that he always sent her out to purchase more, his room was a disaster, and he was extremely _lazy_. These days he was no longer so languid, but he was still simply a friend she highly respected, in his own way. "He is not...my...cup of tea. My ideal. You two are much more compatible, Miss Asakura."

"Oh?" Tae was extremely relieved to hear that. She didn't want to tell Narumi her worries because of _course_ he wouldn't really know if Kotone liked him or not no matter how much he thought he did – he was a man – but Kotone was always honest. And the conversation was taking an interesting turn. "And what _is_your ideal, Kotone?"

Akane expected, along with Tae, that Kotone would flush at the question, but as the girl did not and had never truly had anyone in mind, she only replied, "I've never really thought about it... But I suppose I would like a man who can carry a conversation. It would...please me...if he asked about me every so often. He should be able to hold his own in a battle, and stand up for what he believes is right."

"That's..." Not very romantic at all, Tae and Akane thought, except for the part where she wanted him to ask about her, but it had gone downhill from there. Tae cleared her throat. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised that Kotone wasn't the type of girl who needed to be swept off her feet and wrapped in her lover's arms. This was Raidou she was talking about. "What about his looks? You wouldn't just want some ugly mug, right?"

Food for thought. Tae and Akane had been giving her a lot. "No. But he needn't be an Oberon."

"Huh?"

"He needn't be a prince," Kotone explained. "I've come to understand that this is the norm? I wouldn't want a prince. Neither of us would be able to cook."

Tae burst into laughter. "You've got a point there!" She said to Akane, "All right, so Kotone's got the personality stuff down. We all want that. When you were a little girl, what did you imagine your future partner to look like?"

Truthfully, Akane had never thought of that much, either. She'd had a few infatuations with some of her brother's friends, his fellow Fukoshi whom he now commanded, but it wasn't as though they would take an interest in her. They were much too busy. A trend she suddenly realized, however, was that she liked a man with bulk. Dahn was lean – muscled, and yet trim. She loved her brother, but she'd never thought he would attract women with his body alone, perhaps only with his face and charm. But what did _he_want? He'd never spoken much about relationships.

"Akane?"

"Oh!" Akane turned red, remembering her answer. She would sound so childish. "I...I'd like him with muscle. A-and...he should be tall."

"Oh, I agree," Tae giggled, mind already drifting to her own ideal as she wiped the sweat from her brow. The kitchen could be so hot. "Definitely has to be tall."

"I wouldn't want him with unkempt hair," Akane added, still red but encouraged by Tae's girlish giggles. Kotone watched on curiously. "A nice, clean cut would be nice. And he shouldn't look boyish—he must be a man."

Akane was about to say that tattoos might be attractive, only to realize… Now? She was to entertain these ill-chosen thoughts now? Kotone and Tae would surely pick up on her silence, so she continued. "That…is all, I think. He must possess the ability to protect his family."

"Power is attractive," Kotone admitted. To Tae, she said, "Miss Asakura, I didn't peg you for the type to speak of her ideal man."

"Partner," Tae corrected with a grin. "I said partner."

That she had, Kotone realized, and yielded with a smile. Their conversation soon spanned into any other topic that came to Tae's mind, with Akane and Kotone engaging her in conversation they never thought they would otherwise, and after a little more than an hour in Tae's apartment, they were finished preparing the meal. As though he knew, Gouto called Tae's apartment as soon as dinner was complete and requested that they return home immediately.

"Is something wrong?" Kotone asked over the receiver.

"Not really," Gouto replied quietly. His tone made him sound like he was trying not to sound exasperated, or roll his eyes. "It's just that—"

"We're starving," Kotone heard Narumi's whine in the background. "It's way past dinnertime, right?"

Gouto paused. "You heard that?"

"Yes, Gouto. We've only just finished, but we will return soon. Yes. Please tell the boss – somehow – that there's more toast in the kitchen if he is truly hungry. Goodbye."

Akane and Tae watched her expectantly as she returned the phone to its base, the latter woman rolling her eyes. "Lemme guess. Narumi's starving."

Kotone nodded, and Tae expertly swept up their cooked food into a container. She explained, "I'm a grab-and-go type of girl."

"All right," said Kotone. "Miss Asakura, you can go ahead and bring the food back to Gouto and the boss. Miss Akane and I will clean up here."

"You sure?" Tae looked at the mess they had inadvertently made in the kitchen with a grimace. "You don't have to. I wouldn't clean that up on my best days."

"…Go ahead, Tae," said Akane, already grabbing a piece of damp cloth to wipe the table with. How the reporter could even suggest that they leave all the dirt alone astounded her. "Kotone and I are more accustomed to cleaning up. You should attend to Mr. Narumi and Gouto."

"Well…okay," Tae shrugged, took the food, and left the apartment. Akane and Raidou proceeded to clean up their mess. They hadn't actually made much, but Tae's scattered equipment to begin with added to what they used recently made for some work. But Akane was a great cook as well as a quick worker, and they finished faster than Raidou had expected.

The two were silent throughout the process, something Kotone wished wasn't so. She often stayed out of the way of women her age – something she learned from school of which only Rin and Kaya were exceptions, but Akane was their client and if there was anything she thought would help their investigation, Raidou needed to hear it.

When they packed the last of the ingredients and exited Tae's apartment, she asked, "Is something the matter, Miss Akane?"

Akane had almost forgotten she wasn't alone. "No, nothing," she said with a start.

Akane was always hiding something. Raidou thought it was finished with the revelation of Dahn as her brother, but there was something in her stance that told the devil summoner this was not so. "I don't mean to pry," she tried again after much consideration, "but are you thinking of Dahn Tsukigata?"

"I wish he would understand that I'm doing this for the clan," Akane answered almost immediately, as though she had been expecting the question.

Kotone's face was blank. She was deep in thought, and then she spoke again. "It isn't my place to speak for an…" _Enemy_, she would have said, but Akane might react to it. "For an opponent, but Dahn Tsukigata's apprehension towards your marrying a god isn't difficult to fathom."

Akane frowned. Raidou realized it wasn't the answer she wanted. "But you understand duty, don't you, Kotone? The sacrifice of personal desire for the greater good…"

Her tone was one that begged for approval. Duty, Kotone reflected. It was clear now in Akane's eyes that she did not want to marry this god. Duty was forcing her hand, whereas Kotone had never been forced into anything. She wanted to train to become Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, to become the greatest devil summoner in existence. She wanted to fight soulless armies and crazed little gods and work under a private detective who made her do all the leg work, and the only thing she had ever sacrificed was the chance to become normal, mediocre, to have friends in school, things she never cared for. There was that Purification Ritual for the Admiral in the past year, but how could that ever compare to marriage to a god and leaving family behind?

Duty. Kotone forced her thoughts to a staggering halt. She didn't like that feeling – guilt. She had done everything that had ever been asked of her and had fulfilled all her duties. Was that not enough? "I understand," Raidou insisted, to herself as much as to Akane. "My mother was devastated when news came that I would become a Great Summoner. After what happened to my father, she resolved to have me run away rather than accept the title. She cried to the council, begged them to reconsider, but…she accepted it eventually."

"I…doubt Dahn is as prepared to accept my fate."

That a brother was more resilient than a mother surprised her, but then their circumstances wereabsolutely different. "You shouldn't worry, Miss Akane. You are our client and you will be protected, even from your brother."

Akane paused. "Kotone," she said carefully, adding a small smile, "I was hoping we could be friends."

Kotone's eyebrows lifted slightly. The renowned assassin clan's daughter was pleased to see her surprise, little though it might be. "Of course," agreed the scion of a line of Great Summoners. "Of course, Akane."

* * *

When they returned home, Gouto and Narumi were already eating heartily with Tae, who had made sure there was enough left for the two younger women. Narumi escorted Tae home soon after, and once her companions were in bed, Kotone went up to the Ginroukaku roof.

She sat alone, playing her father's game. Lilim and Leanan Sidhe were out of their tubes, but had gone out to see the Capital's "night life", promising to be back before midnight. Judging by their excited expressions, she highly doubted it. But she didn't mind the solace – it was comforting in its own way. Akane had given her much to think about.

In any case, the stars still looked different tonight. Tonight she could see a polite-looking horse – Mezuki, she grinned in amusement to herself – and Dahn.

Dahn…?

Kotone rolled away and jumped to her feet, her sword hand quick to reach her hilt. "Dahn Tsukigata."

"Fancy meetin' you here." Dahn chuckled at her guardedness. "Should I have called first 'fore comin' over?"

"Yes, though I doubt any of my protests would have succeeded in stopping you."

"Well, aren't we gettin' to know each other real fast?"

Kotone drew her sword. "What do you want, Dahn Tsukigata?" After his hasty exit the night before, she hadn't expected him to return.

"To talk," he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and she was at fault for not knowing. "You talked so much yesterday, I hardly got a word in!"

Kotone frowned at the embarrassment that raised cold prickles on her back. She was always the more quiet one, always being bothered for not talking enough, but he was right – she had spoken too much last night. The realization stunned her, though her pride told her to retort. "Well…"

"Well…?"

"Talk, then, if you must."

Dahn snorted. "Thank you, I will."

Only silence passed between them.

"I'm tryin' to help you understand why I'm doin' this, summoner," he said when she thought he had finally gone. She didn't want to look at him and see the intensity burning in his eyes. There was a conviction in them that unsettled even her.

Kotone watched him lean against the rooftop edge with his hands to his sides. "Would you care to explain, then?"

Dahn's eyebrows furrowed. "You got any siblings, Raidou?"

Kotone shook her head.

"Only child," Dahn scoffed. "No wonder yer used to gettin' everything you want."

"I work towards what I want," Kotone said, hiding her indignation. "Only then do I receive it."

"That's what I'm doing," Dahn insisted with a sigh. "I'm workin' towards what I want. Why do you have to get in my way?"

"Why are you doing this?" Kotone asked in return. "Are you afraid to let go of Akane? She has chosen freely to accept this marriage."

"Asked you first."

Immature, but Raidou had always been taught to be the better man – woman – and acceded. "It is Akane's will to pursue the marriage despite your wishes and her very own. She asked Mr. Narumi to help her, and I aid Mr. Narumi in his cases."

"And you just follow orders blindly, s'that it?"

Kotone frowned. He was beginning to grate on her nerves. "I am no one's puppet. But Shouhei Narumi's counsel is valuable to me; if he believes we must stop you to abide by your sister's wishes, then I shall."

Dahn rolled his eyes and lay down on the roof, his hands piled at the back of his head. Arguing with her was like fighting it out with a training doll – she always hit back, no matter how tired he was already. He wasn't used to anything like this; in the Tsukigata village, he'd always managed to convince everyone to his side. Except his father, he guessed, when it really mattered, and now Raidou. All that charm everyone talked about him having seemed like a damn waste if he couldn't use it. He snorted in exasperation, "Whatever. Just watch the stars with me, Kuzunoha."

Kotone obeyed only because she wished to. Sitting down some feet away from him, she hugged her knees and looked up at the stars, her revolver clasped firmly in her left hand for good measure.

"What do you see now?" asked Dahn.

"A wolf." Kotone replied, but she was watching him, watching the slight tilting of the tips of his curls by an evening wind. He confused her to no end. If he were only as clear as Matsumoto and Rasputin, he would be an easy opponent. Perhaps she would desire to kill him or bring him to his father if he did, but now she only wanted to sate her growing curiosity about his foolish determination and character. "And you?"

Dahn shrugged. "A monkey wrench."

"What an odd thing to say," the devil summoner blurted out. When Dahn didn't reply, she turned to him, still staring thoughtfully at the sky. "Dahn Tsukigata."

He returned her curious gaze. "Yeah?"

It baffled Raidou why they were on speaking terms. He should have been attempting to kill her and she should have brought him back to Akijiro last night, but she felt she owed him something for what she allowed happen to Akane today. Just one last night of speaking with him, one night of pretend mediocrity where a young girl spoke with a handsome man and the man was good, strong, kind, with no intention of killing her at all, though she would never admit it to anyone. It was a nice dream, the surprising kind a girl doesn't realize she desires until she wakes up, or at least that was what it felt like if she understood what Rin and Kaya often spoke of in their letters, and Raidou never dreamt. Kotone owed him a night, and no one would ever know. "Do you understand duty?"

Dahn knew where this conversation was going – Akane had attempted to give him this talk long ago. "Yeah. But to hell with duty if Akane's gonna be unhappy."

A crude answer, but she found insight in it all the same, and Raidou resented that. "Last night, you informed me that another group kept tabs on my actions besides your Fukoshi. They kidnapped Akane today."

Dahn clenched his fist, but Kotone didn't see it. "I know."

"You failed to take advantage of the chance to retrieve her."

"Didn't _fail _at anything. I coulda stepped in if they tried to hurt her," Dahn shot back, shrugging. "'sides, I wanted to see how you would do."

Raidou tinkered with the safety on her revolver. "I don't believe you would risk Akane's life to test my skill."

"Whaddya wanna hear, summoner? That I believe in you?"

"No." Kotone found herself lying, of all things. She didn't think the answer would be one, but she could tell when she was lying. Her heart beat a little faster, her eyes wanted to look every which way and her tongue felt dry, not that she would give any indication of it. "Only the truth."

"Didn't have much of a choice," Dahn answered, finally. "Found some o' dad's old grey Fukoshi grunts staking out near our place when I came back last night…couldn't risk 'em trackin' us down again, through here or the Fukorutsubo. They only left a little while back. Believe it or not, summoner…I know how to bide my time. So I sent a little friend o' mine to help out instead."

Kotone pursed her lips. "You sent that false locust."

"Ain't false," Dahn grinned and gave a soft whistle. A locust appeared from nowhere, causing Kotone to back slightly. Its mask was silver, unlike the bronze Gouto had earlier seen. At Raidou's skeptical expression, the assassin said, "It's the same one. Them luck locusts take about a day to get from their bronze stage to the silver stage…not that you'd understand. They don't respond to cages much when they're still kids. This one will now, though."

The locust neared Kotone, who would have shot it like a Pixie several times if not for the weight on her waist. She opened her empty insect cage, still with the birdlime inside, and the locust entered willingly.

Dahn stared at the red cage. "A gift from dad, huh…"

"In exchange for bringing you in," Raidou confirmed. "But I do not appreciate that he would send his men when he asked me to do this."

Dahn laughed. "Don't take it personally," he said. "Dad's always been a jerk. He didn't expect you to keep an eye out for me all the time, what with you bein' the Protector of the Capital and all…and I guess he was right in suspectin' that you wouldn't bring me in, right?"

Kotone grasped her revolver again. "I wonder what your men would think of you visiting the Summoner who defeated them in battle."

Dahn snorted in acquiescence. "What can I say? I'm smart, handsome, strong, _and_ nice to pretty girls who want my attention."

Kotone would have replied with sarcastic indignance as she reared her head at him, but she saw his careful expression. "…Or you want to know your enemy."

Dahn didn't look surprised that she would catch it. Flippantly, he replied, "Maybe."

"Won't your father's Fukoshi catch you here?"

"Guess my dad trusts you enough that he only sent 'em greys to look fer my men," said Dahn, an indiscernable emotion crossing his face.

"Are you envious?"

Dahn turned to glare at her, only to stop short at the sight of her genuinely curious expression. He laughed in disbelief. "You just tell it like it is, summoner. Don't know if I should resent that."

Kotone quirked an eyebrow. "You didn't answer my question."

"Doesn't matter if I do," said Dahn, standing. Raidou rose with him. "Anyway, take care of my locust. Youngest one yet."

"Its fortune will be well-used with me. However, I question your giving an opponent something she could use to your disadvantage."

"Heh. Yeah, you'd say that, wouldn't you?"

"What?"

Dahn shook his head, jumping once more on the roof. "Think of it as…compensation fer when I get my sister back after your humiliatin' defeat…but a simple thanks'll do for now."

Kotone smirked at his dream of her defeat, but was humbled by his last statement. "Thank you…Dahn."

The assassin smiled before a ripple of reality sent him on his way.

* * *

The train ride returning to the Tsukigata Village was not as boring as Kotone remembered, but perhaps it was because of their new addition to the party. She no longer sat in her side of the booth alone across Narumi and Tae; between her and Akane lay Gouto, and she felt no urge to sleep despite how late she had come to bed the night previous.

Although she had little knowledge compared to Dahn of the bugs used by their clan, Akane had said that the (disgusting) critters could not report back to their masters by way of telepathy. It had plagued Kotone's mind that her hasty acceptance of Dahn's 'compensation' was Raidou walking into a trap, but her discomfort was allayed by this information.

Akane was nothing like Kaya. While Kaya had also been resigned to her fate, their personalities were worlds apart. In every other aspect besides her supposed possession, the Ouran schoolgirl was a fighter, and constantly though politely insisted on speaking her mind and having her way. On the other hand, Akane was only constantly being persuaded to speak her mind, especially by Tae and her feminist ideas and Narumi's general amiability.

Still, the woman and her conversation were engaging, and Kotone was genuinely glad to have come to friendly terms with her. Women in her age group often possessed an aversion to her, as though her 'eccentricity' were a disease they would catch. Her schoolmates were especially silly, but she understood that they knew nothing of the real occurrences in the world, so Kotone was even more pleased to have such a well-mannered, cultured – though all too docile – woman as a friend.

"You're not looking so lively today, Raidou," Narumi said halfway through the trip, while Tae discussed her favorite pastries with Akane. "Been burning the midnight oil?"

"Falling asleep has become a task lately, boss," Kotone explained. Surely he knew nothing of Dahn's odd visits – he would have said something otherwise. "However, the rooftop lulls me into a harmonious fatigue."

Narumi smiled. "You've been away from your village a while now, haven't you? I know it's hard getting used to the city noises all over again."

"It isn't that, boss," Kotone assured him. The Ginroukaku building was as much of a home as her house in the Kuzunoha village now. "In any case, my demons make rounds in the night. It helps me sleep." If demons making rounds meant Leanan Sidhe and Lilim gallivanting, that was.

"Ah. If that's the case, you should get some sleep now."

"No thank you, boss," said Kotone with a finality Narumi decided not to question. The thought of sleeping anywhere close to the Tsukigata Village kept her awake. She remembered the tampered food and the numbing poison, and also expected Dahn to appear by the car door at any minute as he had days ago.

But the train ride was pleasant, and as they switched buses and stops without a problem, Kotone wondered if it was the extra luck locust at work. When they reached Tsukigata village, the cranky housekeeper at Fukuroku Inn apologized for her rudeness before, promising not to drug their food again (though Gouto, Narumi, and Raidou highly doubted it), and Tae settled into the hot springs before jumping into work while the Narumi Detective Agency returned Akane to her true father.

Narumi and Raidou explained what occurred in Councilman Narita's mansion upon Akijiro's request, to which the assassin reacted with some disappointment.

"Tasuke was a well-known Fukoshi back in the day," Akane's father explained. "I thought he might be able to handle Dahn, but it seems his life at home playing at being councilman has caused his skills to wither away."

That would explain the councilman's apparent strength, Kotone thought, but Narumi spoke first. "Right. Akijiro, there's one thing I want to ask you. Raidou here tells me Dahn apparently wants to 'save' Akane. His plan is to become some _King Abaddon_."

Akijiro scratched his head. "I have no idea what he means by that."

"I don't get it, though," Narumi continued, having felt as though Akjiro would deny any knowledge of the term whether or not he did. "If all he wants to do is bust up the wedding, then all this about taking the forbidden luck locusts, and trying to become King Abaddon… It all has to do with Akane's groom, doesn't it? What'd you call him? Lord Tento?"

Raidou nodded in agreement. "Lord Akijiro, who is Lord Tento?"

A grave silence passed the room. It wasn't the tense sort that had passed Kotone and Dahn many times, or the awkward one that passed Raidou and Narumi during their first days of working together. It was the kind that gave Gouto the feeling that they had broken some sort of glass they weren't even supposed to approach.

Finally, Akijiro spoke. "You have helped me a lot, searching for Dahn and saving Akane…but you're still outsiders. And you mustn't go around talking about Lord Tento. Please don't ever mention him again." He gave his thinning hair a stroke, and Narumi wasn't sure if he was aggravated or pained to have said those words.

"U-Um…" Akane had reverted to her silent self once they returned to the mansion, as though she hadn't spent the last two days enjoying the company of Tae and the Narumi Detective Agency. "Father, why don't you leave it at that? These three must be tired from the long trip… Mr. Narumi, Raidou, Gouto, I've arranged a room for you at the Fukuroku Inn. We may be out in the country, but just think of it as a vacation."

"At least someone in this town has manners," Gouto sighed.

"Yes, Miss Akane," said Raidou, slightly startling the older woman with the honorific. But if she wanted to show that no bond had been formed from her time with them, then Kotone would honor it. "Thank you for your kindness."

Akijiro waited for Akane to nod accordingly before solemnly warning them about an area in the Tento Woods called the Centipede Road. Once they thanked the man and went on their way back to the Inn to meet with Tae, Narumi glanced at Raidou and Gouto.

"That place he talked about in the Tento Woods…"

Gouto chuckled. "I think I know what he wants to do."

"What was that?"

"You read Gouto's mind, boss," Kotone translated, scattering satchels of Repulse Water wherever she stepped. She didn't want to fight demons again with Narumi still recovering from his injuries and with the possibility of his becoming involved. "We'll visit this place soon."

Narumi laughed, fixing his hat. "Sometimes, Gouto, I really think we might get along."

Gouto didn't call it misfortune so much as it was a disaster. He and Kotone had seen the sign leading to the Centipede Road and parted ways with Narumi, who would keep Tae safe in case the hostile inhabitants of the village attempted to lace their food with anything again.

There was a stone carving at Centipede Road's entrance, surely indicating instructions of some sort, but Kotone could understand it as much as she understood foreigners and went forward anyway. Each time they did, they would find themselves back at the entrance. They tried it for more than a dozen times until Gouto grew tired and resigned, vexatedly, to returning to the Fukuroku Inn without answers for Narumi.

Kotone's boss wasn't too disappointed. They still had three days to attempt to get past whatever magic was in the Road, after all, and for now there was an issue he wanted to discuss; the matter of Akane's husband. It was clear that the fastest way to save Akane from a marriage was to kill her husband, Lord Tento – to which Kotone agreed, because nothing was more impregnable than the veil of death – and since Dahn seemed determined not to take this route, there must have been something special about this Lord Tento.

"Besides the fact that he's a god?" Gouto had asked, though even the great cat, having lived for more than a thousand years, had never heard of such a deity.

In any case, Narumi came to the conclusion that King Abaddon was the real threat to the Capital, especially since Dahn, one of the better Fukoshi of his clan, was under the impression that only by becoming so would he be granted the power to defeat a god. When Tae returned from the bath, the three and Gouto split up to investigate and learn more about Lord Tento and King Abaddon.

Half an hour passed and Raidou was not so much exhausted as she was _bored_. It was clear that none of the villagers were willing to talk, and only when she and Gouto had decided to attempt the only more futile effort of the day – getting past the magic surrounding Centipede Road again – did they come upon an interesting man.

He was foaming at the mouth, stumbling about outside the village in the woods. There was a crazed look in his eye and Raidou had half a mind to walk past him quickly or have one of her friends put him to sleep before she was forced to do so herself, but the man had already reached her and asked her, surprisingly cordially, what she was doing there.

"Exploring the Tento Woods," Raidou said, in case this was a Fukoshi masked as a civilian. "As you are, sir."

"You…" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're the outsider who's been associating with the Tsukigatas!"

"Perhaps," replied Raidou, stepping away from him slightly. The spit was forming at the sides of his mouth again.

"Then listen—" he said with a gasp. "Twelve years ago, I was walking through the Tento Woods on the day of the Marriage Ritual…when I saw a strange, small man covered in a shroud and a hat. He wouldn't answer me when I talked to him! But when he – when it looked at me…its eyes shone bright red! It was unhuman!" The man began to sob, curling into himself and yet keeping his wide eyes on Raidou. When he calmed himself, with Kotone and Gouto glancing at each other as though debating whether they should leave, he said quietly, "In three days…he'll be back for the Marriage Ritual."

Kotone and Gouto left him for the Centipede Road soon after that, though the man's words rang clearly in their minds. After much thought, Gouto glanced at his greatest descendant (so far). "You don't think that lunatic was talking about who I think he was talking about?"

Kotone appeared just as troubled, at least as much as a Raidou Kuzunoha could. Shining red eyes were a common trait for demons; not for gods. "Lord Tento…?"

"A strange, small man in a shroud and a hat," Gouto repeated. "Doesn't sound like a god to me."

"This calls for further investigation," was all Raidou could come up with. Despite their experience with Sukuna-Hikona, she couldn't picture Akane marrying a creature with red eyes. Gouto was right.

"We've gotta find a way to get past that barrier," her ancestor agreed, and as their luck would have it, they stumbled right into a pale young girl with long, ebony hair and distinct ice blue eyes.

"Raidou…?" Nagi gasped at the sight of her fellow summoner. "I…heard you returned to the Capital after the incident at the Tsukigata Mansion."

"Hello, Nagi," Kotone nodded. While she and Nagi were on barely cordial terms, she still found a kind of kinship with the girl she could have with no other. Perhaps it was because they were both young devil summoners, and she had long dreamt of having a friend she with whom she could discuss from a summoner's perspective. Gouto had never counted; he was her mentor, and her cousins had all been too busy competing with each other and her to spare time for conversation. Kaya and Rin wouldn't understand, and her demons themselves had always been out of the question. Even Lilim.

"Dahn found Akane hiding in Councilman Narita's estate. We retrieved her before he could take her, and upon her request returned her to Lord Akijiro. The boss had hoped to learn more of her fiancé, Lord Tento, but the chief was adamant about keeping his silence…and so are the villagers, it seems. Before we left the mansion, Lord Akijiro warned us not to tread near Centipede Road. So we believe that this Road is the key to Lord Tento."

"I see," Nagi said, eagerly taking in the information. "So now we must find out more about Miss Akane's fiancé, Lord Tento. Weren't you in the process of investigating the Centipede Road? All I know of Lord Tento in theory is his name, but... I do know that past the Centipede Road is a place where some sort of god is enshrined."

Gouto tilted his head. "Enshrined?"

"The place where Lord Tento is said to descend upon the earth," Nagi confirmed, "the Tento-Kagura. But the process of navigating the Centipede Road that leads to the Tento-Kagura is filled with traps. It is widely known that those who do not possess the Tento Talisman are incapable of passing safely."

"Tento-Kagura," Kotone repeated. "The place of the Tento Lords."

Gouto pawed at his face, an action his descendant recognized was usually performed out of frustration. "Makes sense. But, sorry to say, we don't have a Tento Talisman. So how can we get our hands on one?"

"You are very lucky that you met me here," said Nagi, the pride flowing through her voice. "In theory, my mission is to do daily patrols of the Tento Woods. The process requires me to constantly carry a Tento Talisman. I have a spare as well, for emergencies. If you wish, I can give it to you."

Raidou appeared thoughtful. "In exchange for what?"

Nagi hid her surprise. "As a reward for helping me with something, I will offer this Tento Talisman to you. There is something worth a Tento Talisman to me – I hope that you'll accept my request."

"We don't have much of a choice," Gouto sighed.

"I'm grateful for your acceptance and kindness," said Nagi, and the cat wasn't sure if she was being smart or if she really was so clueless about social cues. In any case, she continued. "The details of the process are perhaps best related elsewhere. Please come with me."

Raidou and Gouto followed Nagi through an untrodden path, so thick with shrubs and sharp bristles that after a little more than ten human steps, Kotone started to carry Gouto for fear of him scarring his body forever. He pretended it was only a shell, but even Narumi knew that the cat prided himself on his clean, almost shiny black fur.

When Kotone was no longer sure of how much time had passed, she ventured, "I must admit, Nagi…"

Nagi stopped, glancing curiously behind her as though she hadn't expected Raidou to say anything. The Great Summoner hadn't, either. When she didn't stop walking, however, Nagi resumed.

"I didn't expect you to aid me in a quest that might put your master at odds with Lord Akijiro. This must mean a great deal to you."

Nagi's eyebrows furrowed. "At odds?"

"You are Geirin's responsibility. Should you act against Lord Akijiro's wishes, the blame will rest on him."

Raidou was walking beside her now, so it was easy for Nagi to look at her, wondering if this was a test. Would this Great Summoner report her to her master? But why would she? Passing through the Centipede Road was forbidden and she was certain that Raidou wanted to keep this as much of a secret as she did. "It is important," she agreed. "You see, Master is on a mission in a neighboring town now…"

The young summoner parted thick leaves to reveal something that looked very much like the Nameless Shrine at Shinoda, and judging by the bell at the center, Gouto didn't doubt that the Herald could be summoned here, too. The only difference to what the Raidou Kuzunoha were used to was that directly west of the shrine, there was a great circular door that looked much like the lock to a safe, only its design consisted not of numbers or simple lines but intricate symbols – magic. Kuzunoha magic. Gouto recognized it as a Great Summoner's Hall.

Before Nagi could continue, Gouto spoke for her. "And while he was gone, you decided you might train some in the Great Summoner's Hall."

Nagi's eyes widened at the cat. "This theory–" She was clearly amazed. "–if it is within the bounds of your conjecture, then perhaps…!"

"That's nothing to be so riled up about," Gouto said, in a matter-of-factly way. "The trials you'll face in the Great Summoner's Hall will be no walk in the park."

They could see that Nagi was attempting to hide a frown. "But…"

"Oh, hello!" said one of the Inari statues before the Nameless Shrine, as soon as Kotone came into their line of view. "It's not often a Kuzunoha other than Geirin comes to visit. Make yourself comfortable!"

"Yes," agreed the other. "There is nothing we can do for you at present, but make yourself at home."

Raidou bowed to both foxes. "Thank you. I have only ever been graced with the presence of four Ukanomitama spirits. It's an honor to meet you."

"How polite," said one. "You must send our regards to the Inari statues back in the Kuzunoha village."

"And to those in Shinoda," agreed the other. "Commend them for aiding one of the Great Summoners; we know the burden you and Geirin bear, and so must they. Carry on, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th."

"Good day," said Raidou, and moved past them to a space between the Nameless Shrine and the Great Summoner's Hall to wait for Nagi and Gouto, whose conversation had been sidetracked by the Inari statues' greeting.

Nagi was still looking back at the foxes when she caught up. "How peculiar…they have never spoken with me before."

"That's because you're not a Kuzunoha yet. Not really. They only see those who have earned the title of Kuzunoha from their predecessor," Gouto said, already impatient. He wanted to reach this Tento-Kagura already and he didn't appreciate being sidetracked by an aspiring summoner, Geirin's apprentice or no. For as long as he'd existed, the first Raidou Kuzunoha had always been difficult to please; he almost forgot that he had treated Kotone much the same way when she was first instated as the 14th in his line. Still, he appreciated Nagi's moxie – even Kotone, or at least as far as he'd heard, had never attempted to advance her own combat training, preferring to sleep or count fish in the lake near the village.

Nagi cleared her throat, turning to Raidou as though she hadn't heard Gouto's explanation, as though she'd never asked the question to begin with. "As you must know…in order to enter a Great Summoner's Hall, one needs the blood of a true Kuzunoha. It's embarrassing to say so, but…my process of training is stuck at the front door. Part of my request is that I would like to borrow your blood…"

Kotone traced her fingers on the symbols surrounding the door, like practice. Her masters had done this before. "Geirin didn't grant you permission to do this, did he?"

Nagi pursed her lips, allowing a long pause to still the conversation. "My Master still mentally categorizes me as a neophyte. I wish to train in the Great Summoner's Hall to show him my true skill. In theory, Raidou, what would you do? If you were in my shoes…acting without my Master's permission…is this the wrong process of doing things?"

Although Nagi had asked for her opinion as Raidou, it was Kotone who gave it some thought. At the back of her mind, she wondered when she and Raidou had come to possess different approaches to matters like this, but brushed it away for the time being. In truth, she never would have even thought of training on her own. It could have been for lack of determination on her part, but mostly it was because she had been the Kuzunoha clan's focus during her training. She learned under different masters, colleagues of her father who hadn't taken the mantle, and was never without one, so the Great Summoner's Hall had not at any time been forbidden to her. That and after Lilim was taken away from her, she preferred to spend what little free time she had either sleeping, knowing better the demons of her masters and her father, or sparring with her cousins.

In any case, far be it from her to deter Nagi from pursuing her own 'theories'. Kotone herself had her own way of doing things – using some demons on humans, perhaps, which Gouto was dead set against – and she didn't like being opposed. Although she certainly _wanted_ it, she hadn't needed Gouto's approval to shock those Fukoshi black masks with Nue's Zio magic, and neither did Nagi need hers for this. All her fellow summoner needed was her blood, and Raidou had spilled much of it before, especially fighting Rasputin, who was pitiless before he began to develop amorous desires for Miss Asakura. (She still found that odd, and highly unhygienic in case Tae ever pursued a relationship with him. It was not to be, however. Understandably, she chose a charming man like Shouhei Narumi over a lecherous, arrogant android who repulsed her.) Kotone thought out loud, "I require a Talisman and you require my blood. Would it matter?"

Nagi released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Your theory is reassuring. I did begin this process on my own, after all. Master will be pleased to see that I've gained strength. If you acquiesce, please stand still in front of the pattern…"

Kotone did. Nagi reached out for her index finger, which she supplied, and pricked it with the tip of her blade. Raidou traced the pattern on the door, refusing to let out a wince even as the small wound stung, and the two girls watched as blood red magic spread throughout the markings engraved in the door, until the circle dislodged itself from the wall with a rumble and rolled halfway to the right to allow them entrance.

Nagi beamed. It was the most cheerful Kotone had ever seen her. "Thank you for your cooperation with the process… In theory, I should now be able to enter. I will begin my self-training and proceed to defeat the major demon inside. According to my conjecture, I stand a thirty percent chance of winning currently. But with the self-training done along the way, I believe that will rise to forty. Plus…"

Kotone stared at Nagi. For one with not so many human friends, like her, she certainly possessed a penchant for talking. Then again, Raidou liked explaining things to those she thought might not know enough of the subject she wished to discuss. That made Kotone think – was Nagi under the impression that she knew little of the Great Summoner's Hall? Although it was discouraged within the clan, Raidou was prideful. On normal days she might have taken offense and perhaps reacted accordingly (if not in action, at least in thought), but most of her energy was still devoted to theories on who Lord Tento might be.

In any case, she and Gouto were both grateful when High Pixie somersaulted into the air before them, her presence stalling Nagi's rambling. Her mouth was open, ready to call Nagi's name, but she quickly caught sight of the black cap and cape and blinked. "Huh? You're Raidou… Nagi actually managed to convince you to come here? Wow, how did she—"

"High Pixie!" said Nagi, turning to the fairy with a hasty furrow of her eyebrows and a jerk of her head. In the darkness, no one could see her reddening cheeks. "Are you in the process of talking or training?"

High Pixie looked only confused, placing a hand to her waist. "What're you trying to act all mature for? You sound like Geirin always does when he's training you…"

Nagi's eyes widened. She turned her back on Raidou and Gouto, her shoulders hunched in a manner they would never have imagined she could do, and hushed High Pixie with an index finger to her lips. "S-Stop that!" she whispered furiously. "We're in the presence of Raidou…!"

His cat mouth stretching to reveal all his teeth, Gouto grinned in amusement. Raidou was a name known to all summoners. Even the apprentice of another Great Summoner should be intimidated. He looked at Kotone, but she only looked away, pretending not to have heard anything. She had felt much the same way, once, about the many Kuzunoha masters who trained her; even about her own father. And he had encouraged the disparity in power and knowledge she possessed with her schoolmates.

Nagi cleared her throat as she turned around. "I also have this demon," she said, composure fully regained. "With her, my chances of success increase to over sixty percent. The process of getting there will require more Kuzunoha blood…I'll need you to come with me. For your blood, in theory. I'll…wait for you inside."

Kotone watched her rush into the Hall and glanced down at Gouto. "Thoughts?"

Gouto shrugged, shaking his fur as though brushing away a shiver. "As nice as receiving hero worship might be, I feel like we're being played here. But if it's for the Tento Talisman, let's go along with it."

Although the Hall was within a natural cavern, red beams that resembled shrine gates held up the long, dark pathway leading into the actual proper, lamps as dim as those outside the only light leading them along.

"Well," Gouto remarked, looking around as they made their way inside, "if Geirin foresaw his apprentice's trespassing, he didn't skimp on the discouragement."

Kotone nodded in agreement, but remembered the Great Summoner's Hall in the village less fondly. This seemed almost homely compared to the place their elders made her traverse through the first time she'd been chosen to start training for the title. Of course, she was eight years old then and deathly afraid of disappointing the council, forcing herself to grow accustomed to stumbling about in the dark and using only the thought of living up to her father's name to push on, and when she returned eight years later she wasn't as terrified as she was eager to defeat the demons and start work, but the memory of the Kuzunoha clan's Hall that remained with her was that of the more distant past's. "Maybe…but Geirin knows that Nagi fears more than just the dark."

"What would she fear?" Gouto smirked up at her, his whiskers wrinkling with amusement. "Bugs, you think?"

"No," Kotone shrugged him off. She stood by her opinion that insects were the most disgusting creations known to the worlds. "The failure to fulfill her duty should her strength not suffice."

Gouto gave a small hum. "You think she's ready for that duty? For Geirin the 18th?"

"I wouldn't wish it on the 17th," said Raidou. "But Nagi seems to possess a certain spirit…" Although, she didn't appreciate how the girl always challenged her position. Nagi didn't seem to understand that the name Raidou was the most prestigious and often most powerful of the Kuzunoha clan's titles – of course she would be given charge of the Capital. Then again, Nagi had never met the Kuzunoha clan and wasn't taught the importance of hierarchy.

Gouto shrugged his cat shoulders. "She looks to Geirin too much. If he gets incapacitated, she wouldn't know what to do. Not the way you did after I took that first class trip to Tai-Itsu with..."

"Do you really think so?" Kotone asked him, nearing the actual Hall. The tunnel was surprisingly long. "I believe I was such a wreck when I thought you had died that I stayed in my room all night afterwards. The next morning was the first time I descended the office in only my pajamas."

Gouto stopped and glanced up at her, a rare smile on his face. It wasn't amusement or derision; just a smile. "I remember that. But I hadn't recovered enough yet to even speak, and Narumi had no idea what to do with you."

"He gave me coffee," Kotone recalled with fondness. "Despite the knowledge that I needed to pursue our descendant, I simply stared at it and, after the boss attempted to lighten the mood by saying it was cooling, I interrupted him – I surprised even myself, then. I swore that I would never allow another sacrifice like yours and his."

"He – died for the Capital's sake. It was an honor for him. That deserting starfish, on the other hand…"

"He was Decarabia's closest friend. It was never my intention to stop him."

Gouto shrugged his shoulders. He _liked _that Decarabia of hers almost as much as he liked Ippon-Dataras, and he understood the demon just as much. Until now, he still didn't understand how Kotone had gotten her hands on a starfish whose Japanese was completely off.

The sounds of Nagi's sword clashing against thick demon skin were clear now, no longer adrift in the tunnel they exited. The summoner's silver blade drew violet blood from Tsuchigumo's spotted yellow skin far from the entrance, and the demon toppled over on its arachnid back. Nagi wiped her sword against its bulb and sheathed it, breathing heavily as she resumed the straight, dignified posture expected of all Great Summoners.

Behind her, High Pixie somersaulted in the air and cheered. "You did it, Nagi! Great job!"

"It was only a victorious process because of you," said Nagi, inclining her head, her breathing slowly steadying. "Thank you."

High Pixie beamed. "You and I are unbeatable, huh? We could probably even take Raidou…"

Behind them, Gouto laughed. Nagi and High Pixie whirled. "Uh-oh!" gasped the latter.

"Raidou," Nagi cleared her throat. "You came…?"

Raidou looked genuinely confused. "Haven't we agreed to share this mutual obligation? A Kuzunoha doesn't go back on her word."

"Of course," Nagi immediately agreed, then turned around and cast a gaze over the rest of the Great Summoner's Hall, which looked familiar to Kotone though she had never stepped into Geirin's. It was painted in the traditional Kuzunoha colors, with red pillars, dark bistre flooring and soothing yellow lamps that were meant to dull the summoner's senses, so that it was up to the Kuzunoha to keep their wits about them. Occasionally, a friendly demon would provide some light, but that didn't seem to be the case here.

"To be honest," Nagi continued, "I feel more motivated and focused from just being here."

"There are many who would say otherwise," said Raidou. "The purpose of the dim lighting is to lull the summoner into some state of comfort."

High Pixie yawned. "Maybe that's why I felt kinda drowsy before that Tsuchigumo ambushed us…"

"No matter the surroundings, you must stay alert at all times," Nagi scolded lightly. High Pixie only sighed, reminding Raidou of a less shrill version of her relationship with Lilim. "Regardless, the theory is that after several obstacles, an especially strong demon awaits. We should be on our way."

Kotone nodded in agreement, drawing her sword. "I will pave us a way."

"Huh?" High Pixie flitted after Kotone with a little effort. "Shouldn't Nagi be the one clearing the path? This is her training, after all…"

"Tsuchigumo are…relatively formidable," Kotone offered, remembering when she was forced to rescue Rin. "There is always a greater demon waiting. Defeating that is better training than defeating demons less than your skill level."

High Pixie crossed her arms. "Well, if you say so, but—"

Gouto was growing impatient with the fairy's interruptions. Hadn't she done enough in the Tento Woods? He didn't hold grudges – he was a little too old for that, except for Ippon-dataras, because they were just infuriating – but stalling their progress for something so immaterial at the moment as training grated on his nerves more than anything. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Kotone, but didn't you defeat _three _last year?"

This seemed to strike Pixie into silence and belief in the power of a Raidou Kuzunoha, which pleased Gouto well enough to say nothing more of how they also saved the Capital. Besides, he knew Kotone was the type to brag more subtly; to show skill rather than talk of it.

Kotone ignored High Pixie and nodded at Gouto before walking forward with Nagi. She was glad to see that Nagi's favorite demon had decided to keep silent – for the time being, if Lilim's somewhat similar disposition was anything to go on – but she had hoped that her fellow summoner would speak a little more. She had felt some unease about a foreigner inheriting a Kuzunoha title, but she brushed it away because power came from different sources; Louis proved this well, and Nagi was raised in the Kuzunoha discipline, to an extent. It was with this thought that she hoped to learn more of the future Geirin, since the other two Great Summoners were male. She liked to think there was no difference, but there always would be – hence her schoolboy clothes, though Kotone did adore the schoolcap – and to have another girl someday be on par with her was, as Tae had said before, pleasant.

As they neared a door into the next area, a wall of flames burst up from a small crevice in the floor, causing High Pixie to yelp backward. The fairy touched her face and hid behind Nagi. "It's too hot!"

Nagi drew her sword. "But…" She glanced from left to right, and up and down. The flames reached the ceiling and spanned the area. There was no way around it. "This is our only way through."

Gouto sat down away from the fire and licked a paw. "Stumped. Really? Just summon a Frost-order demon to extinguish this."

Sheathing her sword, Nagi brushed a hand down her hair with some hesitation. "I…do not possess a Frost-order demon. As you can see, High Pixie is a Skill—"

"Why is that a problem?" Gouto frowned. "If you're going to be a Great Summoner – actually, even if you're just a run-of-the-mill devil summoner – you're not gonna cut it if you don't adapt. You can't depend on that High Pixie forever."

"Hey!" High Pixie scoffed, ever more reminiscent of Lilim. Kotone was possessed with the urge to summon her oldest friend, but knew that might only slow their progress. She tightened her will over Lilim's tube as Nagi's partner continued. "I can do a whole lotta things besides just flying around and being pretty, y'know!"

"You don't have to tell me twice – stalling seems innate to you."

"Ugh! What gives you the right to talk to me like that, anyway? You're – you're just a little talking cat!"

Gouto stared at High Pixie, a glare fixed in his narrowed kitty eyes. "If by little talking cat you mean the very first Raidou Kuzunoha."

High Pixie went pale, and if it was possible, so did Nagi. The fairy blinked numerous times. "Buh…but…so why—"

Watching the exchange with little interest, Raidou flicked out a tube, easing her will over it. "Jack—"

"Don't," Gouto said, whipping his tail at her foot. He obviously hadn't been the best Great Summoner – and maybe that was why he wanted to make sure the new generation of Great Summoners would always be better; more efficient. "Nagi, being a proper summoner entails not just fighting well, but possessing the ability to draw demons to your cause. Now, demons, they'll bend to power. But if you convince them instead of coercing them, they'll stay with you no matter what."

Nagi nodded, eagerly taking in information from a being older even than her Master – not that she entertained any thoughts that might imply that her Master was a lesser summoner than the first Raidou Kuzunoha. "Your theory, then…is that I must capture a Frost-order demon in order to overcome this obstacle."

"That's right. And make it quick; that Tento-Kagura's waiting for us. Kotone, wanna pitch in to your first trainee?"

Kotone wouldn't say Nagi was a trainee, but she nodded and released her grip on Lilim's tube.

"Yeah, stick with you no matter what even if you always stick them back into their tubes while they're still talking!" Lilim whined even before she fully materialized outside Kotone's magnetite. "It's like I didn't grow up with you!"

"I let you gallivant around the Capital, didn't I? That takes magnetite. And for two energetic demonesses…"

"Yeah, right," Lilim huffed. "You _want_ your magnetite sapped so you can finally get to sleep. It has nothing to do with me or Leanan. And don't think I don't notice you favoring Leanan a lot more these days!"

"Oh, stop," Gouto said, getting in between them and rolling his eyes. "It's always this argument. You act like a married couple!"

The two friends were silenced. Kotone spoke first. "…We do not."

"Obviously," Lilim crossed her arms. "I don't know if Dominion would kill me or Kotone first. Besides, if Kotone had to marry anyone, uhh…never mind."

Kotone slowly turned her head to Lilim. "Do you want me to fuse you?"

"It was just your sub-conscious!" Lilim gasped, her seductive tail flicking out in alarm, her hands clasped together. She had known her summoner forever, and she knew that no matter what, Kotone had always made good on her threats when it counted. "I didn't even read it, it just came to me! Your mind's been overactive lately and…"

"What did I just say?" Gouto sighed. "Argue about this later, if you have to. Lilim, these are Nagi and her High Pixie. Say hey."

"Oh!" Lilim finally noticed the two females staring at her with some shock. Nagi had seen demonesses before, but never one so scantily dressed as this one. The same went for High Pixie, who looked her up and down before glancing at her own figure. "I'm Lilim, daughter of Lilith. I was cast out of my family for the sake of my best human friend, the daughter of my mother's worst enemy, and she pulls me into a tube every time I try to talk. Pleased to meet you."

"…Hello," Nagi was able to say. It was so scandalous. How would her Master feel about such a demoness? And what was she saying about being the best of friends with Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th?

"Hi," High Pixie squeaked out. "High Pixie. I've known Nagi since we were kids, too."

"I hope she doesn't stuff you inside your tube all the time because she's so busy with _work_."

"Oh, no," replied High Pixie, encouraged by Lilim's friendly attitude. "But she does nag a bit. She can be so serious sometimes."

"I know exactly what you mean!" Lilim laughed. Nagi and Kotone glanced at each other. "It's like—hey! Ow!"

Kotone was exerting her will over Lilim's bind to her again, but only slightly. The small tugs and pinches were always the most painful.

"This is abuse!" Lilim exclaimed.

Gouto groaned. "Four teenage girls. Really. Where's Narumi when you need him?"

"I was only trying to catch your attention," Kotone said with a hint of a smile. "We'll speak of your trespassing later. For now…please recite that spell you attempted in the Fukorutsubo. Try to attract a Frost-order demon. Nagi needs one."

"…Yes," Nagi agreed after some time.

"Oh, _now_ you're saying please," Lilim grumbled, but sent a grin Kotone's way before chanting her spell again. The violet aura surrounded her, and then a sound of the tiny padding of feet towards them.

The demon was blue with a long chin, large ears and a heavy stomach, his hands rubbing over his bellybutton greedily. Red eyes stared at them thoughtfully and grinned, creepily laughing in a manner that made High Pixie cringe.

"A _Preta_? That's all you could muster? Even Tatsumi could summon Preta…" Gouto clicked his cat tongue pitifully.

Lilim opened her eyes and made a grimace. "Well…that's probably the only Frost-order demon around in this area. How should I know? I'm just the—don't you put me back in my tube, Kotone!"

Kotone raised her hands in defeat after returning Lilim's tube into its slot on her vest. "Very well. Go ahead, Nagi."

Nagi gave on eager nod and stepped forward. "Preta," she ventured bravely, despite never having spoken with other demons cordially besides High Pixie and her masters'. "Join me."

Gouto covered his own face with a paw. Even Raidou blinked awkwardly, and Lilim giggled.

The Preta stared up at Nagi in confusion. "Sooo hungryyy," he groaned. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Nagi—"

"Not that," the Preta laughed, his stomach bouncing as he dismissed her with a downward wave. "Your Summoner title."

"I…see…" Nagi stiffened for a moment before finally turning and glancing questioningly at Raidou, as though asking for help pained her.

Kotone nudged Lilim, who whispered in High Pixie's ear, "Get over there! This is a teamwork type of thing."

"Right!" High Pixie flitted between Nagi and the Preta, hands square on her waist. "Hey, Preta! I know it's not too obvious, but Nagi's a great summoner and you should join her! Okay?"

The Preta frowned. "Huh? I don't care about that…"

Gouto was shaking his head. Kotone wondered if she should step in, and Lilim decided for them both.

"Oh, just watch," she said, happy to sound like an experienced demon. To her credit, they did save the Capital. Maybe they were young, but she didn't understand why the Kuzunoha clan still treated her and Kotone like new blood.

Lilim flapped her batlike wings over to Preta and spun in the air, allowing her hair to flip before her attractive features settled for her usual seductive smile. "Hello there," she said, her voice suddenly deeper than usual; husky. "I've heard of you Preta…your greed is insatiable. That's exactly why you should become Nagi's demon."

The Preta lifted his head curiously, his wide lips turning up for a smile again. "Why'd you say that, pretty demon?"

Lilim grinned at Nagi. "All yours."

Nagi stepped forward. "I am a devil summoner. You may conjecture that—"

"No, no, no!" Gouto snapped, his tail flicking impatiently. "You're supposed to convince him to join you. Not bore him to aggravation!"

"Your instructions did say to convince the demons to her cause," Kotone whispered.

"Talking cat," the Preta noted, rubbing his stomach. "You look tasty…"

"Do you know what else is tasty?" Lilim asked, taking the reins once more. She had never seen a more clueless female summoner – then again, she had only ever known Kotone, which spoke even greater volumes of Nagi's naivete. Perhaps she wasn't a Japanese beauty, but she was a beauty all the same! The girl didn't know the power she wielded. "Your hunger will be as nothing with Nagi – but you'll have to work to be filled. How about it?"

"Sounds interesting," said the Preta, patting his stomach lightly like a drum. "But first you have to gimme a life stone!"

"What?" High Pixie scoffed. "You want us to bribe you into—"

"Just do it," Lilim sighed, realizing she didn't have the patience to be a wise old demon. Then again, her mother was one of the oldest in existence and she was a catty, impatient old lady. Still fiercely attractive, however, and never looked older than thirty. The demoness reached a hand into Raidou's cape and tossed the Preta a Life Stone. "There."

"Thanks!" the Preta gobbled it up gleefully and sighed contentedly. Approaching Nagi, he handed her a small, rectangular piece of hard, durable paper – a business card. "I'm Preta. Nice to meetcha!"

Nagi blinked, but received the card, tucked it into her jacket, and bowed accordingly. "…My pleasure, Preta. I am Nagi."

"Nice name. Sooo," Preta said, searching Nagi for possible tubes. He'd heard about tubes before. His own friends who had befriended the humans who would be their summoners spoke of a certain fulfillment from living under the binding influence of a tube. It could be a collar if used harshly, and paradise if one built enough rapport and trust with his summoner. That pretty demon looked happy enough. "Are you…gonna put me in a tube or did you want me to do something for ya?"

"Yes," said Nagi, surprised at how easily that went. She felt somewhat undermined, since Lilim had done most of the work, but Raidou seemed to take no pride from it, so she decided to address it later. "These flames bar our passage. In theory, our best interest wills that you cool it down."

"Piece of cake!" Preta laughed, and Nagi felt some amusement, watching him hobble with his stomach out and his arms flapping. Her new demon inhaled sharply, and then blew out a gust of cold air, some particles crystallizing into ice from the cold, and the fire dimmed. It was a weak ice attack compared to those dealt by her master's Jubokko, whom she often encountered wandering around the Tento woods, but it was an ice attack by _her_ demon all the same.

"Thank you," said Nagi as they stepped over the small crevice. She almost expected it to fire up again and narrowed her eyes at it as though that would stop it from happening, and glanced back at Raidou and Gouto in relief when, as they crossed the fire gate, it dissipated into nothing.

"No problem! Anything else?" asked the Preta, smiling almost eerily, eyeing Gouto with a lick of his lips.

"I think it's time you let him rest in his tube," said Gouto, keeping close to Kotone's ankles in case the demon tried anything. "Get an empty one and will him into it. Be careful about thinking of releasing him, because that weakens the tube's control. If your will is weak enough, he might escape his tube into the human world. Got it?"

"All right," said Preta, closing his eyes and bracing himself. "I'm ready!"

Nagi retrieved a tube from her jacket and performed the task as instructed. With a green flash of light, Preta disappeared. It amazed her, though she showed it only with a small, triumphant smile. Her master didn't use tubes often; he allowed his friends to wander the Tento Woods, keeping the free demons in order as much as possible, or guiding the way of lost villagers. High Pixie had never been fond of her tube, either. She preferred the human world to the demon world, since she had spent most of her time here. But if it was what the Preta preferred, then so be it.

"Wow, Nagi!" High Pixie clapped her hands. "Your first demon! I mean, you know. One that you got yourself. Sort of…"

"Next time, try not to talk about your _actual _reason. Only the higher level demons care about that stuff, and most of the time, even they don't want to hear it. Try to get a feel for what they like to talk about; like normal humans. With a body like yours, though, you can convince most of them to do anything. To recruit female demons, get a cute demon like Jack Frost," Lilim said, having been surprisingly quiet until then. Kotone's mind was brimming with new thoughts, her mind completely out of the situation at hand. Granted, her friend had her own Hall that looked much the same as this, but the 14th wasn't even trying to concentrate.

She trusted the Nagi girl with the responsibility of handling a Great Summoner's Hall more than Lilim thought was appropriate (and Lilim _knew _inappropriate) mostly because she was a summoner her age, but it was easy to see just by how inexperienced the foreign girl was with negotiating with even a simple Preta that she was way in over her head with this. It was almost funny; in situations like this, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th had always been the epitome of a good soldier. She was efficient, silent, and focused – the only differences she had in that state with those Yomi-kugutsu, if Lilim were to be honest, were that Raidou was living flesh and her uniform was black. At the moment, Kotone was just haywire and throwing her trust around like Lilim threw kisses.

Nagi and High Pixie both looked startled at Lilim's passing mention of their bodies. This demon wasn't at all what they had expected Raidou to keep company with. Perhaps Nue, a beast who tore at his enemies, a fighter, but not a seductress. And for her to have been Raidou's oldest friend?

But Nagi hadn't the time to conjecture about another Great Summoner when she could be training to show her master her progress, and pressed open two doors that led into a small chamber, at the end of which was a foggy Onmyo Mirror, resting on an elaborately crafted altar. The path outside was blocked by a seal, which would only be undone after smearing Kuzunoha blood on the mirror.

Gouto cringed as they approached it and glanced up at Kotone. "The only thing about Great Summoner's Halls is that you're anemic by the time you get out."

Raidou stared contemplatively at her right index finger, squeezing it slightly to draw more blood. Without turning, she asked Nagi, "Are you prepared?"

Nagi nodded, almost in confusion. "Please daub your blood on the mirror." She tensed when Raidou did, unsheathing her sword and frowning. "Wait! I sense something dangerous…!"

Lilim had felt it, too, but that presence was already looming over them when they entered the room. She knew because though Kotone's mind was as chaotic as the Akarana corridor all on its own, her friend was still instinctively tense.

A voice sounded out from everywhere. Lilim had always found it difficult to detect the free demons; this was Nue's job. "Ho-hohh… You seem to be pretty true to yourself, youngster. That's all fine and dandy, but I think you're a mite hard-headed. I think I'll give you a test just to see how strong them convictions of yours are…what do you think?"

"Show yourself!" Nagi demanded.

"Go ahead," replied Kotone. A great flush of energy signaled the arrival of innumerable Obariyon. She had felt something similar to this before, when she'd fought Dahn in Narita's mansion. The sudden spike his energy took had nearly nauseated her – she had never felt such power – but these Obariyon were low-leveled. What had surprised her was their number, and how their energy seemed to stack to create a more powerful force.

Amidst them lumbered an Obariyon almost as large as a Tsuchigumo, whipping his head back and forth to shake the hair from his face to no avail, as Fury-order Obariyon were wont to do. She certainly didn't want that climbing on her back.

Nagi advanced with her tiny blade and stabbed at the silver swirl on his chest that seemed to serve as a bullseye, only for it to bounce off and annoy the Obariyon quick enough for it to attempt to swipe at the young summoner and throw her against the wall like a rag doll. Geirin's apprentice was swift if anything, however, and backed away quick enough to dodge, still in perfect stance as Gouto was certain she practiced.

Raidou drew her sword and hopped onto the railings surrounding the mirror, then climbed the Obariyon by the hair. He cried out, cursing at Raidou until she managed to saw his braid off and distract him long enough to plunge her sword into him as a finishing blow. She had been a neophyte, too, though that seemed long ago now – and had also made the mistake of believing that its chest was its weak point. Why else would there be a target there, and on its elbows, fingers and palms, if not to aid a young summoner in finding its weakness?

It did serve as an aid, but only to teach new summoners that though the weakest point of a human was his heart, devil weaknesses varied per actual demon. Gozuki's, for instance, was his foot. A fatal attack to the Obariyon meant the nape of their necks, right where their braids began.

Once their leader fell, the Obariyon were easy to dispatch. In the haze of the battle, Lilim couldn't pay attention to Kotone and was sent back to her tube. Aeros and Dominion were summoned, pleasant as always and ready to perform tasks without complaint.

"Flurry!" she ordered as soon as they materialized, motioning all around the room. They had trained and fought together enough to know where to angle their Force attacks so that Gouto was kept safe, and Nagi and High Pixie, attempting to fight Obariyon one by one, were mostly unharmed. Devil numbers were decimated, and soon their bodies dissipated back to the Dark Realm, where corpses of demons who died in the human world without summoners remained forever.

The Onmyo Mirror glowed as Dominion and Aeros returned to their tubes, signifying the disappearance of the barrier that hindered Nagi's progress. Said summoner focused on regaining her equilibrium and catching her breath, and then glanced at Raidou in amazement. She watched her master do as much; she had never expected Kotone, who seemed so quiet the first time they met and unconscious the next, to be capable of ending such a battle this quickly as well.

"And _that_," said Lilim, squeezing out of her tube with a slight glare as Kotone willfully lessened her grip on it, "is why you want to get different types of demons. One for every order, you know? Although nothing could ever have prepared us for Oumagatsu, huh?"

Kotone sheathed her sword, feeling odd as she recalled the memory. She was like one of her childhood masters. "Yes. However, demons necessarily created for Evil purposes are difficult to come across."

"Which makes Hiruko a collector's edition devil!" Lilim said. When Nagi and High Pixie exchanged clueless glances, she sighed. "Never mind. The point is, that's how Great Summoners with their partner demons do it. Understand? You'll get used to it eventually. Sometimes," she yawned affectedly, "I don't think we're challenged enough anymore..."

"I should like to see Binbou-gami again," Kotone agreed. "When this is over. I owe him a victory."

Lilim grimaced. She hadn't seen the Fiend, but Dominion had told her stories about him. "You'd better, after what he did to poor Pyro."

"Moving on," said Gouto, clearing his throat. He suddenly remembered why he recommended that Kotone practice away from her demons. "Is there anything else we need to do here?"

"No," said Nagi, still finding it difficult to wrap her head around Raidou talking so friviously with such a scantily clad demoness. "We almost have the means to fight the guardian demon. Now, uhm…I know this may not be the best time to ask, but…"

Nagi's inability to meet her gaze was so surprising that Kotone glanced at Gouto inquisitively, but the cat only shrugged. "What is it?"

"I'd like to hear your opinion on something else. Uhm…Raidou, you…" Nagi adjusted her collar. "Ahh, no…Umm, never mind. Please forget it…"

This wasn't like Nagi at all. Or she supposed it was, but Kotone had never seen this side to Nagi. And directed at her. At Geirin, perhaps, whom she clearly adored. "Yes?"

"Right," Gouto frowned. "If there's nothing else—"

"Oh, let her finish, Gouto," said Lilim, tapping her tail viciously at the cat's head.

"Uggh, what are you doing, Nagi?" High Pixie groaned, glancing at Lilim briefly in embarrassment. She didn't want to feel inferior to the demoness, but it was difficult not to, with her seeming so experienced, having seen so many battles with the Protector of the Capital, even if they were only the same age. "Why are you being so shy? You should just ask Raidou, the way you asked me earlier. Remember, I'm always right behind you! Just pull yourself together and go for it! Do it!"

"Yes…I see your point." Nagi cleared her throat several times before facing Kotone again. "Raidou, what I wanted to ask you...there are two prevailing theories on how to keep demons. One says they should be treated as tools necessary to complete the mission; no more, no less. The other prescribes treating them as comrades… Sharing your joy with them, to grow together. I might already theorize as to what your answer will be, but…hypothetically, which theory do you believe in?"

"They should be treated as tools," Kotone replied as though it was the most natural answer in the world.

Nagi appeared surprised and then thoughtful. "So, according to your theory, and this is only hypothetical, if this Pixie died during combat… You believe we shouldn't shed a tear for her. I…" She looked almost ashamed, but indignant, at the same time. "I don't know if I can be that way…"

High Pixie was horrified. "B-But…! Lilim! How can you stand there while Raidou says that?"

"Oh, she's not done talking yet," Lilim snorted.

"Hypothetically," Kotone repeated. "Devil summoners become so not to foster friendships with demons but to manipulate their power for their own goals. Hypothetically, when you acquired that Preta, it should have been the same as acquiring a new blade. Hone it well, but throw it away when it rusts and becomes useless to you. Acquire a new one, as would be logical."

"In theory," Lilim repeated. "Working with us is different, isn't it? No matter how _irritating_ your summoner or your demon might be, you learn to care for them. Growing together and sharing joys and pains aren't avoidable…whoever says otherwise has a stone heart. No life should ever be treated as a tool."

"So…what you mean to say is…one's beliefs and one's actions do not always coincide?"

"Sure, if you want to go deeper," Lilim laughed. "Not that this isn't already too morally uplifting for me."

Nagi paused, nodding. "It sounds so simple in theory."

"Doesn't everything?" Lilim asked. "You're born with your mom telling you, _don't go near that devil summoning brood! _You tell yourself you won't ever do that, of course, but the next day you can't help but be friends with that lonely little girl chock full of colorful bruises on her body from training."

"Do you speak of Raidou and yourself?" Nagi asked curiously.

"Yeah! Let me tell you, when she was a kid, she always loved…" To Kotone's chagrin, Lilim began telling Nagi stories of their childhood. Engrossed in their conversation (though it was something more of a monologue by Lilim), the two made their way out of the room with the Onmyo Mirror without so much as a glance at their companions.

"Isn't it nice how they talk about you like you're not there?" Gouto asked, whiskers twitching. Before Kotone could open her mouth to answer, he frowned. "Now let's _go_."

High Pixie and Raidou followed Gouto outside, the pixie pulling the latter aside for a moment to tell her that her presence had brought forth a change in Nagi. She thought harder now, High Pixie said, and shared her concerns more often. Not to mention she spoke of Raidou almost always, a fact that certainly shocked Kotone. She, too, had thought much on Nagi as a future Great Summoner, but the girl had always dismissed her in favor of her master, which struck Kotone as somewhat…disrespectful, given her position, but she tried to think nothing of it. Raidou was only too pleased to have a girl her age training to possess a title like hers.

Another Onmyo Mirror stood in their way to the guardian, and as Kotone wiped her bloody finger on it, a set of demons with relatively low skill levels launched themselves on their party. They were defeated, and after much prodding from High Pixie, Nagi asked Raidou one of the questions her demon had mentioned she was thinking a little too much about.

Nagi had asked her why she battled constantly. Was it to improve herself and gain strength, or to maintain peace according to the duties of a devil summoner? Kotone admitted to herself that it was a difficult question. The first had been easy to deflect, but this – she wasn't certain herself. Raidou was supposed to be strong. Without power, a devil summoner was defenseless, and so would be the people she protected. On the other hand, her father was always at the back of her mind. She refused to have a fate like his.

Kotone cheated and said that it was for the sake of the people that she fought. _In theory_, as Nagi said, it shouldn't have been a lie. But her answer had nearly felt foreign on her tongue. True to her character, Nagi doubted her answer and questioned it, but if she was as impressionable as High Pixie had mentioned, then she would follow the Kuzunoha ideals to the letter yet.

The barrier fell. They encountered physical obstacles behind it, specifically made for demons of the Fury and Pyro order, but Lilim couldn't summon a demon for every task, and so Mezuki and Pyro Jack did the work without Gouto having to suffer through another sad attempt at recruitment by Nagi. She and High Pixie entered the room with the guardian demon ahead as Kotone took care of stray demons set to block their path.

"Nagi, there is a staggering amount of demonic energy in—" Raidou looked back after defeating an aggressive horde of Fury-order Slimes, sheathing her sword, but Nagi was already inside. "Hmm."

One round of Dia for all her demons later, Raidou pressed open the doors leading to the guardian.

Nagi's swordwork took Raidou's breath away. For all her inexperience in recruiting demons, her speed was astounding. Granted, the girl's weapon was much lighter than Raidou's blade, but she was impressed nonetheless. Had Kotone been any less trained in the art of swordfighting, she would have seen nothing past Nagi's elbows as she pulled back, thrust forward, and slashed at her opponent.

The guardian demon was too skilled for her, however. Blue with one small head on top of the larger other and eight arms, two pressed together calmly and six with different kinds of weapons he threw at her at different intervals, Nagi was both outmatched and, in a sense, outnumbered. Despite High Pixie's Dia spells and own attempts to distract the demon by flitting around his face, the duo faced an inevitable loss.

Raidou stood back. Upon hearing her enter, Nagi had thrown her a look that said not to interfere. She hadn't intended to, given that this was the girl's training session and she was only truly here to receive a Tento Talisman, until the side of the guardian's stave hit Nagi across the chest and hurtled her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. Had he thrust its blunt end at her instead of its shaft, Nagi's ribs would have shattered.

Nagi wheezed, looking up at the demon in disbelief. High Pixie attended to her worriedly, but her partner was already tired and could barely keep her eyes open. "It was far…outside the bounds of my conjecture…!"

"Know your fragility, little human," the guardian's voice boomed as he stomped heavily over to Nagi. "You are unworthy to be entrusted with the protection of this land."

High Pixie gave a pathetic cough, the flapping of her fairy wings faltering as she stumbled over to her partner. "U-Ugh…Nagi…it hurts…"

"If only Master was here…" Nagi forced out, touching her body where the demon had hit her before. The pain of her wounds and caught up as the adrenaline drained from her. A little more and she would cry. "Master…please help…!"

This was enough for Raidou, who made herself known by drawing her blade. The guardian saw her through his peripheral view and narrowed his eyes at her as though she were a bug unworthy of his attention. "Are you my next opponent?"

"I would challenge you," said Raidou, bowing.

His haughty expression faded into one of quiet regard. "Very well. I am Atavaka, the Fudo Myo-o and guardian of this country. Show to me that you are worthy to be entrusted with its protection – your limits shall be tested under the brutal force of my assault!"

Atavaka launched himself at Kotone. If Nagi hadn't been able to match his speed, neither would Raidou. Her technique of choice drew its power from force, which had always made up for lack of agility. Nagi, at least, had managed to keep up with the demon and parry his blows, but Raidou jumped away when she knew his barrage of attacks using a stave, a sword, throwing stars, and even a whip would become too much.

Jack Frost attempted to heal Nagi and High Pixie with Dia while Kotone ran away from Atavaka. He bounded after her until she jumped towards the wall, propelling herself hard enough against it to perform a backward flip over his head and pulling out her revolver, shooting at his top fingers before landing behind him. Atavaka's golden throwing weapons clattered noisily as they hit the ground. Atavaka howled in pain, silencing the room – even Raidou stopped to watch for his reaction – but the demon gave only a serious nod and bowed for a moment.

"Hmm," he said flippantly, "your capacity is much greater than the girl before. The way you live is doubtlessly reflected in the way you fight. That is the sort of opponent I cherish."

Raidou breathed heavily. She couldn't stop moving, or the bruises he had dealt her would start to pin her down as they had Nagi. "You are a challenge, yourself."

Atavaka smirked, then twirled his stave in the air once more. "Then shall we continue the test of your abilities?"

Raidou said nothing and ran at him, only to duck as he swung his sword, then turned to slice at his back with hers. The back of his head contained not hair, however, but another face, and he stepped forward to evade her blows.

"Let me help, Ko-ho-ne!" Jack Frost squealed from the sidelines, briefly glancing back at High Pixie with fatigue in his voice. "There's no-ho-thing else I can hee-do here…"

Raidou grunted her assent when it was impossible to penetrate the sphere Atavaka had created for himself with his weapons, throwing his arms around in a terrifyingly calculated manner. There would be no better swordsmaster than him. It would be impossible to beat him physically. Could that be the point...? He existed, after all, to test not a swordsman's abilities but a summoner's as a whole. This included cooperation with devils. Kotone had always tried to fight demons herself, having grown accustomed to the law that demons were not to be used against human opponents, but perhaps it was time to throw that away. She had deserted it long enough.

Kotone paused, standing still before Atavaka. He loomed so that her head did not go higher than his stomach, and raised his stave and sword, ready to strike.

"Cocytus again, Jack!"

Jack Frost obeyed. Raidou ducked, covering her head with her hands. The freezing crystals surrounded Atavaka's arms and froze him solid long enough for Raidou, shaking her fingers free of the cold that had reached her, to draw blood from Atavaka's knees.

When Atavaka broke the ice the way Dahn's Taromaru had been unable to, he roared fiercely and staggered forward. Stopping, his eyes lowered without his head and it dawned on him what had happened. Falling to his knees, he hissed in pain. "Splendid!" he admitted through grinding teeth. "You are…well-suited to protect this country without succumbing to any diversions, Devil Summoner! What do they call you?"

Returning his bow, she spoke. "Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. Protector of the Capital."

Atavaka's smirk returned. "A title duly earned. If my brutal strength can be a help to you, you are more than welcome to call upon me for support. I will…" he raised his head and met Kotone's eyes in acknowledgement. "I will see you again."

Gouto cheered triumphantly as Atavaka disappeared for the time being, but there wasn't a moment to spare. He, Raidou and Jack Frost surrounded Nagi and High Pixie immediately.

Jack Frost's eyes were downcast. "I…I hee-led the human, Ko-ho-ne, but…the pixie was too-ho injured…"

Nagi cradled High Pixie in her hands, her eyes misting. Before she could speak, the pixie weakly gave her best smile. "I'm sorry, Nagi…it looks like…this is the end for me…"

Kotone glanced at Nagi for a moment before bowing her head. "N-No…you can't! You can't give up that easily!" the latter girl demanded, a whimpering sound stuck in her throat. "I won't allow it!"

High Pixie shook her head. "Bye, Nagi… Become a great summoner, like…like Raidou…"

"No…!" Nagi cried out, touching her best friend's lifeless body to her face, but swallowed down a sob. She wouldn't cry yet. "Curse my lack of experience…"

Gouto nudged Kotone, urging her to say something. She was closer in age to the beginner summoner, after all, but Raidou didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could do. Words of comfort from her had always been a promise – to avenge, to give, to take, to do. Not meaningless words from the air. "Nagi—"

"I-If, in theory, she had been your demon rather than mine," Nagi started, a hardened, almost angry expression on her face, "would she have had to go through the process of dying? Could you have saved her…Raidou?"

Kotone pursed her lips. High Pixie would have been better-trained in battle. In fact, she wouldn't even have participated in it. "Yes."

A hiss escaped Nagi's lips as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so angry…but not at you, Raidou… It's because you're right that I'm angry with myself!"

Gouto sighed, pawing his nose slightly before speaking. "Don't turn sob sister on us or you'll never make the grade. Demons can become friends, but with a job like yours, they come and they go. That's how it is for a devil summoner."

Jack Frost took High Pixie's limp body from Nagi and returned her to her tube from the time being. The young summoner's will had been so weak that even he was able to do it.

"If you're going to be one of us, Nagi," Gouto added, "you'd best understand that."

Ashamed, Nagi stared at the ground. "Devil summoners… Raidou, has this…?"

"Yes," answered Kotone. Tai-Itsu had never been far from her mind. She would have explained had the familiar clicking of heeled boots not entered the room.

Nagi gasped. "M-Master!"

* * *

Geirin Kuzunoha the 17th crossed his arms, a heavy frown evident on his mouth and eyebrows as he listened to his apprentice explain her actions after apologizing to Raidou. Nagi had been honest – she wanted to come closer to his skill level. She had been _very_ honest – she believed Geirin deserved a greater position than Raidou.

"It's not outside the bounds of my conjecture," she had stammered, "that you would even be entrusted with the Capital."

Kotone had expected her to say something to that effect and deftly deflected it, while Gouto tried not to snort in derision. In the end, Geirin appeared quite unhappy. _Disappointed_, he'd described himself, and left. Nagi looked like nothing worse could possibly happen, and picked herself up only when Gouto spoke, saying that reprimands were part of one's training. Biting her slightly trembling lip, Nagi nodded and thanked the two Raidou, finally handing over the Tento Talisman she had promised. Kotone was glad when she acknowledged and apologized for her derisive words pertaining to Raidou's strength.

Nagi sighed. "Wh-What should I do?" she asked, obviously distraught. "When Master touches his hair, it is a sign that he's upset, but now he won't even look at me! Should I begin the process of reconciliation and apologize to him? Or should I wait for things to smooth over on their own?"

Kotone felt cold sweat forming at the nape of her neck. No one had ever asked for her advice concerning this. She had always been such an obedient apprentice, she now realized, never overstepping her boundaries and following orders to the letter. She had understood that her masters meant to create the perfect summoner, and she had wanted that for herself, as well. They'd had her complete trust. Why speed up or slow down the process? Why create a situation where an apology was necessary?

Clearly, she hadn't known any better. Perhaps if she'd been more challenging like Nagi from the start, her decision to go her own way about dealing with meddlesome humans, to state her own opinions, wouldn't be so shocking to the council.

Nevertheless, Nagi stared at her as though her world depended on the answer, and Raidou would rather turn into a demon herself than disappoint. "I would apologize," she answered, making herself sound knowledgeable. She had done the same when she first faced the Kantou haguro-gumi, and that had worked well enough, hadn't it? "You have every reason to lie, but a master should know his student better than anybody else."

"That…that's your theory?" Nagi took a deep breath. "Truthfully, um, I'm a little scared. But if you say so, I'll apologize. I'm glad I talked to you…I feel a little better now. I'll be waiting for you at the Tento Woods. Thank you, Raidou."

Gouto and Kotone watched her go, and the former chuckled. "Someday, when you have a pupil…"

Kotone appeared thoughtful. "Will I?"

"If you're lucky like the 12th was, you'll be training both your child and your grandchild," Gouto replied, a little jarred at the thought of the 14th being with child. It was much too soon to dwell on that. In any case, she was seventeen and she spoke of blades more fondly than the opposite sex… "Anyway, let's go. _Finally_, we can get to the thing that started all of this drama – the Tento-Kagura."

Having apologized to Geirin upon advice given her, Nagi was fully composed when Kotone and Gouto returned to Centipede Road, and instructed them in the ways of the tablets scattered around the area. They were riddles, telling the wanderer when and where to pass to reach the end of the road. She offered to take them the whole way as thanks for helping her come to the decision of apologizing to her Master, but Gouto had insisted that they were fully capable of solving the riddles themselves and refused.

Curious enough, it was Mezuki who solved them all, having forced himself out of his tube in his thirst to 'challenge his mind.' It suited Gouto well enough later on, when he couldn't figure out the riddles himself.

Well-tended shrubs lined the path to the Tento-Kagura, an elevated sanctuary that resembled a typical kagura-den. A long flight of stairs climbed up to the darkness; a fitting hiding place for a hideous god, if the frothing man in the woods was to be believed. Raidou couldn't see beyond the front pillars, but she did see a Fukoshi black mask at the foot of the stairs.

"Heads up," said Gouto, noticing the same.

"Peculiar," Nagi remarked, tilting her head ever so slightly in curiosity. "The 8th Fukoshi clan warriors wear grey."

"Those who wear black have defected to Dahn's cause," Raidou explained.

"Then Dahn's here…!" Gouto frowned, glancing up at Nagi. "Look alive. Kid's not a bad fighter."

Drawing her sword, Nagi would have replied had the Fukoshi – who'd been staring at them curiously in return – yelped in surprise. "Y-Yew!" he rudely pointed a finger at Raidou, "We…we met at Mannen-Cho an' Narita's place! Dammit! Daaaahn!"

Kotone hadn't forgotten him. This one had never quite been a threat. If he didn't want her dead, she might have remembered him fondly.

The Fukoshi, sputtering about Dahn and a Devil Summoner, quickly turned on his heels and faded from the world.

"If Dahn has returned to the Tsukigata Village…" Nagi's eyebrows furrowed before she asked Raidou, "You were not surprised that he'd be here. Did you know…?"

Kotone paused. "It was a conjecture of mine," she answered. "Didn't you, of his obsession with finding Akane?"

"I suppose that isn't a far-flung conjecture," Nagi acceded.

When they reached the top, two black-masked Fukoshi flanked a taller figure in a familiar red jinbaori. Behind them all was a hole in the wall where that should have been a door. When she looked more closely at it, she realized that the wall seemed to have been built around the hole. Were those – rocks – inside?

"Dahn," said Kotone with a familiarity that went over her companion's heads. When she realized her mistake, she added, "Tsukigata."

Dahn snorted from behind his red mask before tilting his head in acknowledgement. While his men had their swords drawn, he possessed an easy-going stance. "Well, well. Fancy meetin' you here," he said. Kotone could almost feel the grin emanating from him, if that made sense. But he hadn't made sense since the moment she bumped into him on the Ushigome-gaeri bridge.

"Your average devil summoner couldn't have gotten past Centipede Road… But I shouldn't be surprised, right? Because it's you, Raidou." He turned his head to the other girl in their presence. They had known each other, vaguely, since their childhood, like ornaments present in a home but never viewed in detail. "And you. You're Nagi, ain't you? Geirin's little apprentice."

"Then it should not be beyond the bounds of your conjecture that I can battle as well as any of you," Nagi retorted, her hand at her hilt, but Gouto pressed a paw on her boots, signaling for her to desist.

Dahn's shoulders shook, as though he were laughing quietly. He waved a quieting hand at his men, who'd been insulted by her remark. Nagi's face burned with embarrassment at the way he had so flippantly dismissed her. "I get it, Raidou. You had Nagi guide you through Centipede Road, didn't you? Still, that makes you the first outsider to get through." He crossed his arms. "Looks like I'd better quit takin' you lightly, Raidou…not that you can beat me or nothin'."

Kotone couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. That was false and he was completely aware of it. She didn't know if he was playing around or not with his attitude, and that made her want to remove his mask and punch him square in the face. Raidou realized what passed through her mind moments later and reprimanded herself quietly. Control was key. Control was power. When Dahn continued, she forced herself to listen calmly.

"After I lost myself a locust, I couldn't find Akane anywhere in the Capital," Dahn said, and if he hadn't a mask on he would have winked at Raidou. "Heard you'd up and left, too. Wasn't hard to put two and two together and figure she went with you to Tsukigata Village. I mean, where else would y'go?" He motioned to the black-masked Fukoshi surrounding him. "That's why me'n my boys rushed back here so quick… And we were right on the money, weren't we? Akane's in the Tsukigata Mansion, huh?"

Dahn nodded to himself, obviously very pleased. "Whaddya think? I'm not just strong, I'm smart, too."

"If you already know this, Dahn, why waste your time _here_?"

"Kotone!" Gouto scolded, but was ignored.

"Same reason you are," Dahn shrugged, tilting his head in a way Kotone knew meant to patronize. It was difficult to pretend that she hadn't spoken with him since the incident at Narita's; especially since he kept making references to it. But she wouldn't break. "You're plannin' to check out Lord Tento, ain't you, Raidou?"

Raidou stared into his mask, wondering how he could see her through it. It was unfair how he could look upon her when she couldn't see his face. "Yes."

Dahn scratched the back of his head, noting her cold reply. "Well now…I was plannin' to lay low till the day of the Marriage Ritual, but I got some time to kill. Consider this a personal invitation," he said, extending a hand out to her, "a free one-day pass to the Tento Sanctuary, just for you, Raidou!"

Nagi ignored Dahn's laughter and glanced at Kotone. "Tento Sanctuary…? I've never heard of…"

Dahn dropped his arm, glancing at Nagi for a moment as though he'd overlooked her presence "Sorry, little lady. The invite's only for Raidou." He waved at her away with a shake of his head. "You run along home now, all right? What I'm gonna show her might be a little too much for you."

Nagi was clearly displeased, but she thought of throwing herself into unknown places and was reminded of High Pixie's demise only an hour previous. She kept quiet.

Dahn took it as his cue to say more. "This hole past the Tento Entrance – it's the Tento Sanctuary where Lord Tento lives. Once we get in there, there's somethin' I want you to see, Raidou. Three, four things, come to that. I'll be waitin' inside – see ya."

Kotone stared blankly at where Dahn stood after he rippled away with his men, returning only to her senses when Nagi spoke. "I wonder what the things he wanted to show you are…I'm drawing a blank on theories as to what they might be."

Raidou nodded, finding nothing useful to say on the matter, and stepped forward. Gouto followed before looking back at Nagi. "Well? Are you coming?"

"Dahn said…"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, kid," said Gouto.

There was a steep decline immediately after the entrance. Gouto leapt down effortlessly, landing always on his feet, while Kotone and Nagi took opposite sides of the rocky walls – caverns, in fact, said Nagi – and groped their way down through the darkness, following something that glowed blue in the distance below.

Crystals, and not lights, as Nagi had previously theorized, and why should there have been lights here? It was only right, but peculiar all the same. Blue crystals scattered throughout the cavern walls lit a series of underground tunnels so long, Raidou couldn't see the end of them. She was certain they spanned the entire village, if not further.

"The Tento Sanctuary," Kotone repeated, wiping the dirt from the walls on her knees.

"Raidou. I may be speaking out of turn, but…"

"What is it?" Gouto asked.

"The process of Dahn inviting you here to meet Lord Tento – the theory seems unsound. I refer to these tunnels under Tsukigata Village, of course, but also Lord Tento's image as a god. _Gods_ are usually high up…but here, it's as if the people of Tsukigata Village have been stepping on them all this time – such a frightening place." Nagi shivered. "Is Lord Tento really here?"

Kotone was vexed for not having thought it sooner. Even Sukuna-Hikona had sought the heavens through Waden-One, through Oumagatsu and the Tai-itsu. That this Sanctuary was an end and not the means was thought-provoking, indeed.

"Kotone, Nagi," Gouto suddenly spoke, stopping before them. "I feel a presence nearby."

A sourceless breeze blew past them, carrying a familiar tune to their ears. "Stop the…fret ful baby's…wail…" said the sound, and it took them time to realize it was a voice, cracked and dry like desert land.

"Takef rom the earth…" the voice continued, closer this time. All of a sudden, Nagi yelped and jumped into Raidou, causing them to crash into a nearby cavern wall.

Feeling the sharp crystals digging into her back, Kotone nudged Nagi off her slightly, wondering what had caused such terrified panting. She had heard herself breathe much the same way in the face of Jiromaru and Taromaru.

"Oh…" said the cracked voice, nearer than ever, "There's still time…before the Marriage…Ritual…"

There it was – whatever it was. A figure in a shroud and an oversized hat on its head, poorly hunched with spindly legs. The frothing man came to mind, but Raidou was too busy staring at its disfigurement to speak. _This_ couldn't possibly be a god. Sukuna-Hikona was small and hateful, but it was powerful. This was just…

The figure, shaking about wildly as though excited, saw only Nagi. "You, girl…! Are…you…a Tsukigataaa…?"

Nagi took one look at it, catching a glimpse of its shining red eyes, and turned back to Raidou, shaking her head in disgust. "Aaahhh…!"

Kotone grunted as Nagi involuntarily pushed her against the wall, and then resisted.

The figure didn't seem to be dissuaded by her disgust, but appeared to notice something and stared closely at Raidou as she pushed Nagi to the side, away from the figure and from her. "Yous…mell likew oman…but appeara sa man…! Whata re you…?"

Raidou stood, looming over the figure. Nagi grimaced from behind her. Lowering her voice, Kotone asked, "Being constantly surrounded by women gives one their scent; what is it to you, stranger?"

The figure tilted its head upward, meeting Raidou's eyes with a fierce glare, but she still couldn't see its face. His throat rumbled lightly. Kotone assumed that was a growl as it approached her, smelling of waste and other unpleasant things she couldn't name.

"Y-Y-You will…bes truck down…by god…himself…!" he screeched, promptly throwing himself at Kotone and pounding its fist at her arm. "S-So haughty…you are jus ta hu man… Re member yourp lace…!"

It shocked the devil summoner, but not enough, because she threw him off just as easily by grabbing the scruff of his neck through his cape and tossing him against the crystals.

"Are you all right?" Nagi asked, supporting Raidou by the arm as she caught her breath, eyes on the figure. "What _is_ that?"

"How dare you…?" the figure cried, lifting itself from the ground. "How dare you…harm a god!" It threw its head and arms back, revealing the contents of its cape – at least six brown insect cages – and then faced them, mouth open. In the brief moment that it wasn't screeching at a volume that could have shattered their eardrums had Nagi not pulled them aside, Kotone saw jagged teeth.

It spun dizzily, recovering from the force of its own shriek. Kotone took the opportunity to stumble forward and throw her fist at the figure, and then stood back to watch for its reaction.

The figure had a more difficult time rising the second time, but did so. Persistent as a cockroach. "I…I'm a god…so why…? Why do hu mans disresp ect us?"

Nagi's grip on Raidou tightened. "It can't be…!"

"You lowly human!" the figure hissed, spitting at Kotone's feet. "You…hitme? Me…a god? I will…Rem emberthis!"

The cavern visibly flowed, and the figured disappeared.

Nagi released Kotone. "Th-Thanks, Raidou," she said. "But…it said it was a god – you don't think…?"

"We'll find out when we catch up with Dahn," Gouto interrupted, just as thrown off by the creature's attack as the two girls. "If you're coming, Nagi, let's go. Just make sure to stay sharp – that creature might come back for round two any time."

Although the _thing_ had been easy enough to throw off, the thought made Kotone's hairs stand on end. Still, Raidou shook it off as she and her companions wandered through the wide underground paths that led them in circles, swirls, and other accursed shapes absolutely nowhere. No Fukoshi in sight, no creature that sang and spoke in an eerie staccato. The tunnels were empty, and only droplets of water created any sound throughout their lengths. Even Nagi grew tired of talking about Geirin, eventually.

Every living being possessed a certain energy level. Most humans had such little power that she wouldn't be able to tell them apart if forced to depend on her sense of them, but those who did possess power had a certain…_flavor_ that allowed her to tell each of them apart.

Her father's signature, for example, though powerful had always felt like an evening breeze and the calming night sky. Raw power like Satake's was invigorating, like afternoons spent sparring with her cousins. Gouto no longer had real energy, but there was something in his ancient spirit that made her feel feeble. Louis's power had been a golden mean at first, powerful enough to possess his own signature yet too weak to be taken notice of, but had grown to remind her of moments in her childhood when she was so exhausted and powerless against her masters that she might vomit. She was uncomfortable reflecting on his state of power. And Dahn's…was traveling on the Large Tarrasque's back, free-falling from Oumagatsu in an attempt to save Kaya, exhilarating but with the nagging feeling of losing something dear to her if she let her guard down.

Kotone wasn't certain if Dahn was spying on them, but just as they had been about to turn back, she felt his energy levels spike. She followed his wafting signature and minutes later – wondering how they had ever gotten lost – found him, a black-masked Fukoshi with a larger build than Dahn, the hat-wearing figure that attacked her, and another creature possessing the same spindly body; it did not possess a shroud or hat. Its black hair was greasy, not like Binbou-gami's but almost, and a mask covered its forehead till his upper lip, revealing spiked teeth and an unnatural-looking lower jaw.

When they approached, Nagi clearly stiffened at the sight, but shook her shoulders loose as soon as she noticed that Raidou and Gouto gave little reaction.

"Yo, Raidou," said Dahn, giving a slight wave as though they were meeting for tea in Ryuugu. "Been waitin' for you."

The creature in the shroud snarled, rudely pointing a shriveled finger at Raidou. "It's… him…! H-he…hitme…!"

"Him? He?" Dahn tilted his head. "Heh…"

Nagi appeared to realize something and frowned at Dahn with unconcealed disgust. "Why is he with you, Dahn?"

Dahn scratched the back of his head and sighed. "You came too, Nagi? I thought I told you to go home…"

"We came to discover the truth together," said Raidou. "It's—"

"Who's that fellow in the mask, standing next to Hat Man?" Gouto asked, pointing at the creature with the greasy hair. What was Kotone doing explaining herself?

"I'm uncertain," Raidou replied. "He appears to be a kinsman to the shrouded one." She paused at Gouto's odd name for it. "…the Hat Man."

"Tsuuukigata… kill theb oy… He isaf ool… defy ingme…" snarled the Masked Thing.

"You want me to kill Raidou?" Dahn repeated, cracking his knuckles as though thinking, but swiftly added, "You know what? Nix to that. I don't take orders from _nobody_."

Kotone didn't know why, but she liked the sound of that. Not necessarily coming from Dahn – but she repeated the words in her mind, and somewhere beneath her ribs something told her they were perfect for her. Thoughts such as this would shatter the foundations of the Kuzunoha clan tenets, however, so she stored them somewhere hidden, for the time being.

"'Sides," Dahn continued. "I'm the one who brought her—him here."

"Tsukigataaa!" the Masked Thing growled, pointing a finger at Dahn. Their – race, kind? – had a rude habit of doing that. Kotone remembered a time when she would have been sermoned for that. But if the Hat Man really was who they thought it was, then why was there another just like it? "You…you dirt crawler!"

Dahn waved at the Thing the way he had done to Nagi earlier and turned back to Kotone. "Raidou. The man in the hat – he's what I brought you here to show you." The summoner wondered if he was grinning or frowning under that mask of his. "Feast your eyes and take a good, long look! Pretty gross, ain't they?" he laughed. "If I asked you to make nice with 'em… You think you could bring yourself to kiss and make up?"

"Absolutely not…" Nagi mumbled beside her, but the question had been directed to her. Kotone felt Gouto's eyes on her person, but she could only stare at the Hat Man and the Masked Thing. If they were one and the same kind, then that would mean…

Her silence angered the creatures. "You…darelook down onme?" the Masked Thing clenched his fists. "I…I ama god…!"

"My, my," Dahn chuckled. "Looks like you've made 'em ornery."

"I was in deep thought, merely attempting to discover what they might _be_," Raidou replied, even though Kotone didn't think she needed to explain herself to the rude creatures who believed they were deities. Sukuna-Hikona, who had at least great power, would scoff. "You, not I, called them unpleasant to look at."

Dahn shrugged. "Anyway, you'd better apologize – to Lord Tento. The fella in the hat, the one in the mask, everyone around here… say you're sorry to all of 'em."

"Impossible!" gasped Nagi.

"Heh, yeah. But you already knew that, didn'tcha, Raidou?"

"Raidou," Nagi whispered to Kotone, "do you…do you believe it? These monsters…?"

"It seems that way," Kotone replied warily, still watching the Masked Thing and the Hat Man sway to an unsung tune. "But…"

"_Monsters_?" Dahn burst into laughter. "I'd take that back, Nagi, if you don't want to be cursed by the _gods_…"

The younger summoner only furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to piece together the reason for his blatant disrespect, if these hideous creatures really _were_ Lord Tento.

Dahn took her silence as his cue. "Okay, c'mon, Raidou. There's two or three more things I wanted you to see. I'll be waitin' up ahead. See ya!"

With a wave of the black-masked Fukoshi's hand, Dahn and his companion disappeared. The creatures howled after him, but took no more notice of Kotone, Nagi, or Gouto. They ran off, taking the nearest curve. Raidou gave chase, but they had already gone.

"Lord Tento…" Nagi shivered. "Contrary to all our theories, he was a race of monsters living beneath Tsukigata Village?"

"I don't understand it, either. Or I suppose we could, but the facts that would necessarily follow are – jarring," Raidou answered. Her mind refused to go beyond the thought of the Marriage Ritual.

"And we still have to figure out why those Tento kooks are singing the children's lullaby," Gouto reminded them. The old soul had already ventured into the thoughts he knew his young companions didn't want to fathom, but maybe this could distract them, if only for a little while. They would have to face the truth soon. "Let's be on our way, but don't let your guard down."

Dahn's energy was faint again, leaving Kotone to fend for herself, but that didn't bother Raidou much. From that point on in the tunnel, there were many fairly leveled signatures floating about which she followed with innate caution, and the travel didn't seem to take too long, even with the thick silence in the air among her companions. Raidou didn't need to ask Nagi for her opinion on anything, them being of the same mind for once. In any case, small talk was the last thing on her mind.

The tunnels soon opened into a broad cavern, with two small cliffs on each end connected by long bridges. Smaller natural caves within contained shelves and undiscernable Fukoshi equipment as well as a number of black-masked Fukoshi fiercely loyal to Dahn. The sight of Raidou clearly irritated them, though they were at times distracted from it by what was surely Nagi's foreign beauty, but the men were under orders to keep their hostility to themselves.

When Nagi was finished exploring the place and one of Dahn's higher ranked black-masked Fukoshi – the same who had kept his company when they met with the Masked Thing and the Hat Man – grew tired of watching his subordinates peek out of their caves to watch the summoners, Kotone approached what seemed to be the cavern exit. It was just as well for Dahn's friend, Kin, who cleared his throat beside Raidou as she peeked into the next series of tunnels.

"Dahn asked me to tell yew the way. He's waitin' for yew up ahead, says he's got somethin' to show yew."

Raidou nodded, beckoning to Nagi and Gouto, who were discussing the purpose of the Fukoshi equipment they had seen. Kin stiffly strode ahead of them, and as she noted that the man was sorely tempted to reach for his katana whenever her pace was so quick that she would walk beside him, Kotone reflected on Akane's words – that Dahn could charm his way out of everything. How did he possess such influence over a large group of men? It couldn't be age – this Fukoshi sounded much older than him. Was he really so articulate?

"…and you'll be there in a jiffy. Heh…just take care now to make sure yer heart don't stop."

Kotone's head snapped up. The man had been giving directions. "I'm sorry?"

"I got it," said Gouto, pawing at her foot while Kin repeated his convoluted instructions. "Come on."

"Thank you," Raidou told the Fukoshi before he was finished, and walked on ahead. The man only shrugged before disappearing.

"Why does Dahn insist that we traverse these roads alone?" asked Nagi, while Gouto led their party.

"I'm uncertain," answered Kotone. "Perhaps he shuns the burden of entertaining us as he takes us to the next spectacle." Raidou shuddered. Spectacle. Suddenly, she remembered herself and Geirin in that silent world, but Nagi's slight giggle, completely out of place in the tunnel, reminded her of her presence.

"You speak of him as though he is a host," she said, still with a rare smile. Despite her ill-timed words, Kotone liked seeing it on the girl. "One might conjecture as to the length of your acquaintanceship."

"One might," Kotone repeated, but her amused expression hid the alarm that shook her concentration. "But you've known him longer, haven't you?"

Nagi nodded. "We never spoke, however. Miss Akane was always quiet…and Dahn cared little for Master or me."

"Hmm." Kotone dared to imagine Dahn as a child, but found she could only imagine his face on a child's body. The image would have been comical had they not arrived at their destination. Hat Man and Masked Thing were snarling at Dahn for his insubordination, threatening to eat him, but the assassin only laughed them off. He insisted that he would become King Abaddon.

"Hey, Raidou," Dahn waved when they arrived, as though she was late for a family dinner. (Which Kotone had never been. Punctuality was a valued Kuzunoha trait during her days as a trainee.) Kin was already at his side; he must have performed that teleportation spell. "You don't mind a li'l history lesson, do you?"

Kotone furrowed her eyebrows, which Dahn took as a no. He proceeded to speak of a time long past, when Tsukigata villagers and the 'Tento clan' lived together on the surface. Eventually, however, the humans grew to fear their race's unnatural appearance and drove the clan away. The creatures took refuge underground, in those very tunnels, and had lived in the Tento Sanctuary ever since.

"They got a real thing about bein' picked on – guess they ain't ever gonna forget all that time ago, so they mind their business here in the Tento Sanctuary. But not these Old Ones. No, sir."

"Old One?" Nagi shuddered even at the name.

"Ggggh… That's right…" the Masked Thing twitched as he spoke. Kotone narrowed her eyes at him with disdain. "Iaman Old One!"

"See, you got more'n one type of Tento Lord," Dahn explained, when he noted the confusion on the summoners' faces. "There's the kind that ain't fond of the villagers – the Old Ones, always playin' tricks on the folks above. Time was, they were called monsters and worse, livin' bad lives up in the village. Now they call themselves the gods of Tsukigata. We been livin' under their thumbs for years.

"So you understand. Someone like you who fights monsters day in and day out… You know what it's like to be us, forced to do whatever the monsters tell you."

"No," Kotone said as soon as Dahn suggested that their situations might be anything alike. Monsters didn't tell her what to do. The Yatagarasu was taught to exist as a divine being, its word Law; these Things were mere mortals. She could run her sword through one now and Dahn would be free of them, but Raidou knew it couldn't possibly be as easy as that, or the assassin would have already done it himself. "I don't understand."

Dahn was quiet, but he nodded his head. "Yeah…it's hard to understand where I'm comin' from, less'n you're one of us. You're willin' to call a spade a spade. Always liked that," he said, his tone less harsh now, but it shook angrily as he faced the creatures. "But y'know what, _Lord Tento_? Your time as a so-called god is nearly up! Once I become King Abaddon, you won't be so high and mighty, got it?"

"Gggh!" the Masked Thing clenched his fists. "Tsukigataaaa…!"

Like he'd said nothing at all, Dahn straightened up and shrugged. "And that's that. Raidou, come on ahead. I've still got a couple of things left I want to show you."

When Dahn left, angry creatures trailing after him, the three summoners pressed forward. Or downward, it seemed, but the crystals grew only brighter and rougher. After the steep descent, the ground evened, and there was a bright, yellow light in the distance.

Nagi squinted her eyes. "What is that?"

Gouto prowled ahead of them. "We'll see."

The light belonged to a tiny room, the yellow from two partition screens whose unified design consisted of stretched lotuses. Behind those, a rocky crystal archway separated them from a translucent pink screen, where the soft silhouette of a woman cast shadows that almost touched their feet. The flowery scent of strong perfume invaded their noses, but failed to mask the stench of something Kotone couldn't place – something she could only call vulgar. Even without Nue's nose, the room stank of the Tento Lords.

Nagi tilted her head. "Who…"

"…en the sky…is pierced right through…" sang a voice, feminine but hoarse, crackling like a short-circuiting machine. It hurt Raidou's ears to listen. Mottled a sickly yellow and grey, a hand reached out from behind the pink screen. "…pier…ier…ced…"

A hand clamped down around Raidou's arm. Sufficiently startled, Kotone jumped back, but the sound of Nagi's scream left her own dying in her throat.

Gouto hissed in surprise, more at the shout than the hand, but said nothing. Nagi tightened her grip on Kotone. "Wh-What is…!"

"Whoops," said the familiar deep voice behind them, "you got ahead of me. Guess that makes me a bad host – sorry about that, Raidou."

Kotone turned around with the intention of glaring, not for her own anger but for her pride, as though it was Dahn's fault that the peculiar sight had shocked her so. She replaced it with her calm glance, however, when she noticed that Nagi was furious enough for the both of them.

"Speaking of which, Nagi, it ain't polite to shout."

Nagi shot him a glare that would send most men cowering. "Wh-What was that? Answer me!"

Dahn clearly wasn't most men. Taking a glance at Raidou, whose lips were pursed expectantly, he only said, "Let's step outside and jaw about it there. Stinks in here."

Kotone didn't need an explanation; one look from Gouto had confirmed everything she suspected. Although the truth loomed over her head long before that moment with the tainted woman, to see proof of it made even Raidou's blood run cold. She had shuddered inwardly when one of the Tento Lords made contact with only her sleeve; what more could their bride possibly feel when consummating their union? What came most as a surprise was the hideous transformation undergone by the woman. One could only imagine what other insectile qualities she might have acquired.

It wasn't her desire to, however, so Kotone steeled herself away from the line of thought. It became easy to, when Dahn removed his mask as they moved forward through the tunnels and scratched the back of his head furiously. Against the light of the underground crystals, his frown lines were more prominent.

"Seems there's no natural born women in the Tento clan," the assassin continued his explanation. "Village law says we fork over the Tsukigata girls so they can have their young'uns, but when the Tento Lords are done with 'em, that's how our girls end up."

If Raidou thought Geirin's foreign apprentice couldn't appear any paler, she was wrong. The girl was the only reason Kotone hadn't given a solid reaction of disgust; she had always found it easier to maintain her composure when in the presence of another less collected companion. Nagi's already round eyes were wide, her lips trembling slightly as Dahn spoke, but even then it was more than Raidou often expected of anyone. She admired her fellow summoner, in a way, because she spoke despite the circumstances. Kotone preferred not to; she kept her silence and no one noticed her gritting her teeth and clenching her fists.

"Th-Then you mean," Nagi ventured, with a high-pitched, heady voice that she only ever used when fearful, "Akane is…?"

Dahn appeared both slightly relieved and further angered, but he kept his eyes on Raidou, who was unnervingly quiet. "Now you see. If my li'l sis goes with the Tento Lords, she'll eventually be…" He shook his head violently as though it would remove the possibility completely. "But if I become King Abaddon, them Tento Lords will have to listen to what I say. It's the only way."

Kotone finally opened her mouth to protest, to ask if he even knew what becoming King Abaddon meant – because she certainly didn't – when a screech echoed throughout the cave.

The Old Ones snarled behind them, sending a wave of ominous dread over Kotone as she turned, but she soon realized the undaunting creatures couldn't possibly be the cause. A purely white grasshopper shimmered into existence before them, much bigger than Dahn's Jiromaru and much noisier. Its ivory mask lifted to reveal sickly red eyes and teeth like blades, and the ground shook when it pounded its arms against the cavern floor.

"Fool…who…hitme! Andyou…Tsuuukigataaa…you whode…fyme!" the shroudless Old One hissed, stretching out his arms and shaking epileptically, to the point that Gouto might have laughed if he wasn't certain Kotone would freeze and get crushed by this giant bug, "Pay! Pay…with yourdeaths! I call onyou…mylove lyTento…maru!"

"That rat just called Tentomaru – he ain't playin'!" Dahn exclaimed. It was one of the few times Kotone had ever seen him display anything besides anger or condescending amusement, and it was a distraction she would have welcomed if their lives weren't on the line.

Kotone squeezed her fist so tightly she might have broken her own bones.

"Come on," Gouto shouted, pawing at her feet. "This should already be customary! The only difference this one has is _size_!" That was a lie, of course, but he knew his descendants had pride if nothing. When he glanced behind him, he was surprised to see that a blue ox had taken the place of his descendant, glowing as Gozuki uttered the spell for _Rakukaja_.

Nagi's eyes followed the black blur that was Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th zipping past Gouto-douji towards the enormous insect. For a moment, the Capital's Summoner stood before Tentomaru, knees bent in a taunt, before – right as it screeched and reached with its mouth to snap her in half – she leapt over the arms that darted at her and sliced a shiny new blade at its eyes.

"Nuh-_hice_, man!" Gozuki whooped, and then picked up his axe to join his friend in battle.

Tentomaru yowled, drawing back and lowering its mask over its face. Nagi gasped, but Raidou either was too engrossed in battle or didn't care enough to respond. Encouraged by the small, upward tug of her fellow summoner's lips, however, as well as the ox demon's excited cheering, Nagi drew her sword fearlessly and headed for the bug. Speed had always been her specialty, so it was the attribute her master helped her cultivate. Nagi was glad to see all her training come to fruition as she performed seemingly effortless footwork dodging Tentomaru's swift legs, and then jumped high enough to grab hold of one of the antennae slipping out of its mask.

It was slick yet twisted in a wiry fashion, which should have caused Nagi to release it if she were any other girl. Growing up in the Tento Woods gave her the advantage of meeting insects varying in color and size each day, however, and while High Pixie never cared for them, she had at least been curious enough to discover their different textures. So when Tentomaru attempted to bob its head and throw her off, Nagi only held on tighter and reached for the nook between its neck and the base of its upper leg.

The Old Ones were shrieking at them incoherently. Raidou turned on them, and when she did Gouto realized that at that moment she was a stranger. At least, to him; he had never seen such emotion in her jet black eyes, if at all. Why had she returned Gozuki to his tube when he could have helped her thrash these pretenders? She had always enjoyed battles, but battles meant honing her skills or simply protecting the Capital. He watched Kotone remove the hat from an Old One and sock it in the face multiple times before it could scream again; when she dove for the ankles of another and swung it around, sending it crashing against the cavern wall, it almost seemed as though she had joined this battle only to inflict as much harm on these so-called gods as possible.

The Tento cried out in pain, gasping and attempting to stand, but Kotone gave no reaction save for the tiniest smile, only stepping on the back of one as it howled. _This is what they deserve_, something mellifluent inside that didn't belong said, _Isn't it, Kotone?_

Kotone raised her head at the sound of her name in thoughts that weren't her own. When she realized that someone outside her mind was calling her by her title, it was already too late.

Nagi had climbed Tentomaru successfully, but was hard-pressed to keep herself on it. The insect had felt her presence and knew she was unwelcome as a rider, so it flitted its wings, trying to send her off, which forced her to grab hold of its mask as support. And then the thought passed that its mask should have been covering its face, which it wasn't, which only meant –

"Raidou, move!"

Kotone had only stood still, however, busily digging her shoe into an Old One. Nagi grabbed Tentomaru's antennae and tugged, hard, but failed to dissuade it from its attack. When it shrieked, letting out a harsh gust of wind from behind its teeth, Raidou was taken by the current and smashed against the blue crystals, much like she had done to Tentomaru's creators.

Raidou wiped the blood from the side of her face and rose from her crumpled position. Gozuki's Rakukaja spell always had the longest duration. But never mind that, she thought, or anything else for that matter – to the point that she completely missed Dahn's wide-eyed, almost, _almost_ concerned more than surprised shout of _Raidou_ – there were still the Old Ones to take care of, and their disgusting spawn.

Nagi was having a difficult time wrangling Tentomaru, who seemed to chirp and cackle at the sight of Raidou's blood. From her peripherals she could see Kotone rising, heading again for the Old Ones. Hadn't she thrashed those weaklings enough?

"Raidou!" she yelled, grunting as Tentomaru shook left and right to send her flying, but she held her ground. "My theory is that the Tento will be helpless without this insect!"

Kotone looked up, her eyes slightly clearing. Nodding, she leapt towards Tentomaru – hissing as she touched its slimy, stick-like legs to climb its back – and sat beside Nagi. With the way she moved so gingerly against the insect, Nagi might have thought she was _afraid_ of it, but that seemed impossible for Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th.

"Do it," Raidou commanded, grabbing Tentomaru's mask and Nagi's left arm. Suddenly, the girl knew what to do as if they had talked it over several times already – was this certainty something Great Summoners always felt? – and shakily unsheathed her blade. When Kotone tightened her grip on her arm, Nagi plunged her sword into Tentomaru's head.

What sounded like a dying screech had come from its creators, the Old Ones, who watched Tentomaru's mask slip over its face as it tumbled into its own heap.

Dahn's black-masked friend grunted disconcertedly. If Nagi and her friend could defeat Tentomaru, and without their demons…it couldn't bode well for them. Kin glanced at his leader, but Dahn was so still that the only indication of his even being alive was his slow breathing; he barely blinked, his eyes unmoving from their gaze on the black-caped summoner. It unnerved him that the girl barely reacted when she had been blown away in a fierce gust, how she gave Nagi the go-signal to simply kill… He had something of a bond with his own Jiromaru, and to see the girl persuade Nagi into treating Tentomaru like a mere demon in the Tento Woods – she was some sort of machine, he was sure. Suddenly, Kin wasn't so certain of Dahn's judgment, if his young but powerful friend thought this girl was trustworthy.

The Old Ones backed by a step, appearing almost fearful, but his kind was tougher than Raidou expected. Despite Nagi's and her display of power, he had the audacity to point a finger at them. "Y-You…kill edmy…precious Tentomaru…! Filthy humans…Iam…your…god…!"

"_No_," said Nagi, sheathing her blade as they removed themselves from Tentomaru. The Old Ones snarled in return, clawing out at her, but she seemed to have frightened them enough so that they disappeared with a wave of reality. (She didn't take into account that Raidou was watching them from behind her.) When she was certain they were gone, she gave her companion a victorious smile.

"Not bad," Gouto remarked, figuring the young girl could use a compliment after her humiliating defeat at the hands of Atavaka. He watched his descendant from the corner of his cat eyes, watching for signs of the stranger he had witnessed breaking the Tento for what seemed like personal enjoyment, but Kotone's face was blank again, and though her eyes were somewhat clouded, she was Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th.

Kotone shared in Nagi's triumph, but paid more attention to the man in the red jinbaori a few ways from them. She couldn't help the irritation, even as they started for what he would show them next. "While unnecessary, your aid might have been appreciated. Or is your fear of your gods so great that you had frozen?"

Dahn frowned, but replaced it quickly with a smirk. "I wanted to see how you'd do."

Raidou shook her head, trying to still the nerves that urged her to carry on with her rampage. She didn't _really_ care that he had only stood and watched as she and Nagi struggled to defeat the most disgusting creatures to walk the realms. Rather, the _spawn_ of such creatures, but Tentomaru had, admittedly, slipped her mind during the fight.

When Nagi wondered how Raidou could speak with him in such a familiar manner, and so calmly after her violent thrashing of the Tento, she chalked it up to the confidence surely required of every Great Summoner. Her attention switched back and forth between Dahn and Kotone, the latter of whom walked stiffly while the former watched her, almost as if he were waiting for the most minute change in her facial features. When Raidou granted him none, Nagi spoke. "Is there a point to this, Dahn?"

Dahn snorted, though she wasn't certain whom it was directed at. "Even you can't save her, Raidou. Only I can do that, when I become King Abaddon." He gritted his teeth when the girl in the schoolcap only furrowed her eyebrows, but stopped before a cavern and put on his best smirk. "This is it."

Kotone didn't know what she was staring at when she entered. An uneven sphere wrapped in what appeared to her like dirty bandages sat precariously on thin, wooden beams. Rays of blue light shone from broken patches in its peculiar cocoon. "And that would be…"

Dahn's face was surprisingly emotionless, mirroring Raidou's when he spoke of Abaddon. "When a luck locust has eaten all the luck it can stomach, it brings that luck back to this here Pojitrawn."

"So, er…in theory…" Nagi touched her hair thoughtfully, glad of the distraction from the Tento bride. "There's a large store of luck inside the Pojitrawn?"

"I doubt it remains a theory," Kotone replied, but her eyes were on Dahn.

"That's _right_. You always were a sharp cookie, Nagi," Dahn said in turn, but he returned Raidou's meaningful look, breaking his stoic façade with a grin. "See, before too long, there'll be a whole bunch of 'em fallin' from the sky – huge bugs, heh. The destroyers that stop at nothin'. When this here Pojitrawn becomes a perfect sphere, that's the day they'll fall from the sky. And when the destroyers come – a Fukoshi like me can control them!" Raidou opened her mouth to retort, but he wasn't finished yet. "Sure as Sundays! After all, I'm strong, I'm smart, and I'm good-lookin' to boot – I'm Dahn Tsukigata!"

Nagi and Gouto blinked.

"Whew, boy." Dahn's composure returned, but his grin remained plastered on his lips. "Sometimes I scare myself. I must've looked mighty fine…"

Kotone released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been keeping. Normally, her enemies' arrogant outbursts served only as momentary sources of amusement. While his last words had been somewhat laughable, a part of her hadn't been able to stop her heart from beating rapidly, her anger long gone. She dearly hoped it was caused by…the danger the Pojitrawn caused. Of course. What else could it be? Her heart was beating in anticipation of the Pojitrawn's effects.

"Destroyer insects," said Raidou, clearing her mind. Attempting to. "Destroyer insects that stop at nothing. They sound like they would sooner ruin the Capital than ransom Akane."

"Just listen," Dahn hissed. "King Abaddon, the one who controls them – _that's_ what I'm aimin' to become!"

"Raidou's theory is valid," said Nagi, resting a hand on her hip in confusion. "By what process will becoming the ruler of the destroyer insects help save Akane?"

Dahn gave a long, weighty sigh, swaying between exasperation and surrender. "The bugs us Fukoshi use to kill folks come from the Tento Lords. We get 'em in exchange for the Tsukigata daughters, so we gotta keep on their good sides, else our supply of the bugs dry up – and the Fukoshi'd be done for. Nothin's more important to me than savin' Akane, but I've also got the Tsukigata livelihood to consider."

Nagi raised a hand to massage her suddenly pounding temples. "That's right…the process of angering the Tento Lords would put Tsukigata Village's future outside our conjecture…"

"That's why I aim to cut out the middleman. I'll replace the Tento Lords as the village god!" Dahn declared. "Y'see, I heard from a certain Tento that these destroyer insects are the servants of the Great Ma they all worship. When I become King Abaddon, I'll be at the same rank – which puts me above the Tento Lords, don't it? And when that happens…"

"How noble of you," Kotone cut him off with an almost unnaturally flat tone, putting a sour expression on his face, "to attempt to protect both your village and Akane. But many in the Capital have died for this Pojitrawn of yours."

Dahn rubbed a hand over his face. "I know. I know it's your job to protect the Capital, Raidou. That's why I wanted to talk this over with you. I hate to ask favors of anyone, but…y'think you could look the other way, just this once? Please?" The word appeared to anger him for some reason. "I mean – Akane's your friend, ain't she? You saw the last bride – that's what's gonna happen to her! Are you that _damn_ unfeeling?"

Kotone watched Dahn's features crumple with emotion. He tried to steel his features, but his shaking hand betrayed him. She knew instantly that she should reach out and touch his shoulder, stroke his hair backwards, tell him _yes, of course, anything_ – and she hadn't ever really known what to do in situations like this; not innately. Proper social customs were learned, not felt, not something she yearned to do. It was unnerving, and she felt as though she were betraying Gouto, Geirin, Nagi, and everything that reminded her of the Kuzunoha name. Keeping her feet in place, even going so far as to take a step away from him, she shook her head no.

No, she wasn't unfeeling. Seeing that Tento bride had shaken her to the core, made her feel indignant for her sex the way no chauvinist had ever done. Kotone had wanted to take the Tento Lords by the neck and beat them into submission without something so artificial as a blade, wanted to feel their bones crack under the impact of her bare knuckles. She wished she could ram their heads against the crystalline cavern repeatedly, listen to them beg for their lives and watch the blood trickle down their torn, open faces. She hadn't wanted the battle to be over quick – she wanted to see red, thick and viscuous. Even Tentomaru's presence didn't dissuade her. Fury had meant nothing to her until that moment, when Dahn explained everything.

But the Kuzunoha clan tenets maintained an objective take on all things, which was why the elders had taken such a shine to her in the first place – she cared for many things, but none had ever truly affected her. Save for what had happened to her father, losing Gouto and a friend on the Tai-itsu – and there the list ended. That changed, today, but she was still Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, no matter how much she desired to lay waste to this so-called Sanctuary.

"Will the Capital's misfortune increase tenfold?"

"Kotone!" Gouto yelled – Raidou Kuzunoha did not _negotiate_, in cases like this – but his descendant had already grown accustomed to ignoring him. Nagi continued to observe without judgment.

Dahn lowered his eyes. Were Kotone any less observant, she wouldn't have noticed his slight nod. "Only…only for a while longer." When he met her eyes again, he already knew her answer.

"And there exists no other way…" Raidou said it more as a fact than a question.

"You think I _wanna_ cause all this bad luck?" Dahn snapped, but turned away from Raidou's furrowed eyebrows. Squaring his shoulders, he shook his head. "No way around it, Miss Devil Summoner…and I think you've seen everything you need to see here at the Tento Sanctuary. I'm headed out."

"_Raidou_," Gouto reminded his descendant, "Dahn's within arm's reach – we can't let a chance like this slip away! Nagi, give us a hand!"

Kotone swiftly reached for her swordhilt. It wasn't anger – but she felt an emotion stronger than mere annoyance or irritation. What had she expected? She and Dahn were not friends, and certainly he had only met her on civil terms those nights ago to attempt to convince her to allow him this one act. And perhaps it was that which struck her so, though it was an idea she turned away immediately. Foolish. It was foolish to see an enemy as anything but that, especially one who wished to send her away after speaking so cordially before, after watching constellations as though they possessed some variation of friendship.

"I'll give it to you straight," Dahn said when he parried her blow with confidence that rivaled Louis, "there's no point tryin' to catch me. After all, the luck of everyone in the Capital is on my side."

Kotone gave no reply and only swung, right as the ground rumbled. Dahn's sickle nunchaku sent Raidou's blade flying from her hand, its edge almost catching Gouto's tail like a barbecue. When the summoner lost her footing, the assassin caught her by the arm.

"Raidou," he muttered, his eyes boring into hers. For a moment, hazel was her entire world, before his smirk drew her out. "I'll be seein' you again."

And their vision faded.

* * *

Nagi woke with a headache clamping down on her temples. It took a moment before her blurry eyesight cleared and she realized that she was lying on a futon inside the Fukuroku Inn, and that there were two figures in black inside the room. The first was a cat, curled up on the table, and the other was a caped human, perched on the open windowsill like a statue.

"Raidou," she spoke, once she remembered the name of the latter. Then again, she supposed, that also should have been the cat's name… Even her mind was hazy…what had the Fukoshi done to her?

The Fukoshi. They were in the Tento Sanctuary… Nagi cleared her throat when Kotone looked over her shoulder. "How?"

Lifting her legs and bringing them inside the room, Raidou took a seat beside Nagi. Not a question as to her health, and the latter summoner was glad of that. The last thing she wanted to admit was how weak she felt. "Dahn brought us here after using the Fukorutsubo. You've never experienced it, so you must feel vulnerable," explained Kotone, who had woken in between, only to return to unconsciousness when the rebel Fukoshi leader strengthened the spell. "I suppose he knew that I would attempt to destroy his Pojitrawn and restore the Capital's fortune. Now we have no way back; the Tento Sanctuary is hardly traversable to those unfamiliar with its depths."

Nagi soured at the idea of being perceived as vulnerable, but she couldn't deny it. When Raidou said nothing more, she looked down and noted the white bandages around her companion's knuckles. If Kotone noticed, she gave no indication, so Nagi took the opportunity to speak, even as she noticed that Raidou's usually neutral features were disturbed by the slightest downward tilt of her lips.

"Raidou…"

It took a few moments, and even then Kotone looked at Nagi only from the corner of her eye. "Yes?"

"I…hesitated to aid you when you chose to apprehend Dahn."

"I didn't apprehend him," Raidou replied, neither condoning nor rebuking her choice of action. "He escaped, returned us here when he could have left us somewhere to rot." The fact appeared to upset her.

Nagi felt undermined again, but continued. "You see, I…thought about it. But that began a process whose end I couldn't conjecture."

Raidou nodded, which to the latter summoner could only mean _elaborate_. "Akane took it upon herself to hire you so that the Marriage Ritual would continue for her village's sake, despite the consequences on her part…because if Dahn stops it, the next step would be the Tento Lords abandoning the Village. I…" Nagi kneaded two fingers against her temple painfully. "Whether we should proceed with the Ritual, or allow Dahn to stop it – I don't have enough evidence to support either theory anymore. This…this is beyond the bounds of my conjecture…"

Nagi hung her head, her nose wrinkling as she sniffled slightly. "I can't do it…"

Kotone glanced at Gouto for assistance – asleep, of no use – before finally looking at Nagi. While she didn't feel a yearning to comfort the girl as she had for Dahn, their positions as female Kuzunoha summoners bound the two of them. Nagi had become something of a responsibility to her; one she willingly took. Now, Raidou wasn't one to lecture, especially since she disliked being lectured herself, but she chose Gouto's style of 'encouragement', which had worked on her long ago.

"Did you think that becoming a Great Summoner didn't entail circumstances like this?" A dark part of her wanted to, just to watch Nagi's world come crashing down around her, but Kotone didn't suggest that Geirin must have known all of this for years and still allowed it to happen. "When you become one, choices like these will barrage you constantly." That wasn't true at all. The 14th had never been faced with such horrible options, but Nagi wouldn't benefit from that knowledge. "Will you break down in each instance that they do?"

Nagi's shoulders stiffened. Nobody liked insinuations about their weaknesses. "No." And then she relaxed, knowing that projecting her frustrations on Kotone would help neither of them. Sighing, she asked, "Then which, in theory, is best for Akane?"

Nagi needed to stop asking about what she thought hypothetically. Kotone disliked dealing in theories. She preferred reality, what could be dealt with now, because hypothetically, anything was possible, and it was only more difficult to face the truth that way. "Stopping the Marriage Ritual, Nagi. That should be obvious."

"I see. Your theory is that she may not have her own best interests at heart."

"Of course not," Kotone replied, so quickly it might have been a snap, but Raidou didn't snap. And her tone was reserved, as always. "Or the boss and I never would have met her."

"Forgive me for stepping beyond my bound, but…do you say that as a Devil Summoner? Or as…as Kotone?"

"As Kotone," said the summoner. "Perhaps you've never met her – but you should know what the Herald of Yatagarasu would ask of me, should I present her with your options."

Nagi nodded. She only knew the Herald from her Master's stories, but the woman (if she truly was that) seemed to believe in the greater good than the safety of an individual like Akane. "So your theory is to act according to your own feelings in any given situation – perhaps so. It's hard to believe one who has forgotten human emotion can protect the people."

That gave Raidou pause. The 14th watched Nagi like an Orthrus ready to pounce, but even she didn't seem to be aware of it. "Do I seem that way? One who has forgotten human emotion?"

Nagi suddenly felt as though Kotone had grown considerably over the past few moments and that she was very small. It was the way Geirin made her feel, often. "Sometimes," she answered. "When you reacted so little to Akane's future, my theory was…"

Shaking her head, Nagi corrected herself. "But there is evidence against such a preposterous conjecture. I saw you battle the Old Ones with a passion that was certainly human."

Passion. Kotone never imagined it would ever be applied to something she had done, but she accepted it. She hadn't even known she could feel that way. The Kuzunoha clan taught that control was key, but in that moment in the Tento Sanctuary when, deep down, she knew she had lost it, Kotone had actually felt…right.

That was enough contemplation for now.

"In any case," said Raidou, "you're awake. Lord Akijiro has summoned the Narumi Detective Agency to the Tsukigata mansion. The boss only left to search for Miss Asakura."

Nagi had hoped to further their conversation, because in a way, Kotone's dispassionate demeanor had always reminded her of her Master's, but she painfully understood more than anyone that a Great Summoner had duties to fulfill, appearances to keep. Standing, she asked, "Do you know why?"

"The boss says it's about the job," Kotone answered, leaning over the table to rouse Gouto from his rest. When he wouldn't budge, she picked him up and escorted Nagi out of the Fukuroku Inn. "It's…fortunate that we returned just as he sent for me."

"Do you think he has knowledge of Dahn's presence?"

Before they parted ways, Raidou shrugged. Better he knew of this than those instances on the rooftop. "We'll see."

* * *

"Are you out of your _gourd_, Akijiro?" Narumi growled. It was the first time Raidou saw him so upset for another individual.

She and the boss had met on her way to the Tento Woods. He couldn't find Tae, so they decided to see Akijiro without her; it was probably for the best that she stay away from the Fukoshi, at any rate, Narumi had said, though the worry was clear in his uncertain voice. Sprinkling Repulse Water ahead of her two companions, she paved the way through the Woods to the Tsukigata Mansion, only to come to a lurching halt at the sight of two grey-masked Fukoshi holding Tae prisoner.

It hadn't been that bad for Tae, actually. Akijiro was a little crazy and his Fukoshi, a little pushy, but they treated her well enough. Her only complaint was that they had interrupted her naptime to tell her she was being held hostage. And while she didn't appreciate being tossed into the sexist stereotype of damsel-in-distress, could Shouhei Narumi possibly look any more attractive than when he was angry for _her_ sake? (On the other hand, Kotone could stand to look more concerned.)

When Narumi demanded an explanation, he was ignored. Akijiro frowned instead at Kotone. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"So those Old Ones went and tattled on us, did they?" Gouto lashed his tail at the ground in annoyance. "Cowards."

"Yes," Raidou answered, in agreement with both her ancestor and Dahn's father. In his furrowed eyebrows she saw the old man's resemblance to him.

"You've seen things no one was meant to see," Akijiro muttered with a regretful tone. "We can't let any foreigner who's laid eyes on the Tento Lords get away. I thought I told you not to go near Centipede Road…"

Raidou stared at Akijiro expectantly. What did he want her to do? He couldn't possibly involve Narumi and Tae; though she related everything that occurred in the Tento Sanctuary with her boss (save for a few details concerning Dahn), they were still innocent. She had been the one to thrash the Tento Lords and would gladly take the cudgels for it.

"I propose a trade, Raidou," said the Tsukigata chief. "You for Ms. Asakura. Do we have a deal?"

And what would they do with her? Keep her there forever, or execute her? The Yatagarasu would never allow that…would it? How hurtful it was to realize that her doubt of the institution by which she'd been reared spoke volumes.

"I'd like to know what makes you believe I wouldn't fight your Fukoshi as soon as Miss Asakura is in my boss's safe hands."

Akijiro snorted. "Even if you did win against the small number I have here, do you think my men would allow you to flee the region? You must remember our Jiromaru," he said with a knowing glint. He had also heard of her aversion to them.

"If the Tento Lords have spoken with you," she said, when she meant _if the Tento Lords have returned to you with their tails between their spindly legs_, "then you should know that a Tentomaru died at our hands not many hours ago."

Akijiro narrowed his eyes at her. "How do you think you would fare against more than a dozen of them?"

Flashes of green evaded only Tae's and Narumi's vision, and the violet horse and the blue ox that came afterwards. They stood tall beside Raidou, sword and axe at the ready. Even Gozuki carried a stern countenance, staring down the humans whose faces he couldn't see. Kotone tilted her head in acknowledgment of them. "Shall we see?"

"Actually, Kotone, I don't think this is such a great idea," said Gouto, but the standoff was set. Akijiro clenched his fist, and the grey-masked Fukoshi drew their katana in obeisance.

"Whoa, whoa!" Narumi gasped, but took a step forward to reach out for Tae. Only when Mezuki held a hand out to block his way did he realize what the invisible walls were made of.

Akijiro shook his head, as though she had failed some sort of test. "Perhaps you shouldn't have challenged me until Miss Asakura was safe with you. I can still send her to hell."

_Now_ it was kind of bad for Kichou Asakura. "Guys…!"

"Father! Raidou!"

Their eyes snapped away from each other at the sound of Akane's voice. She appeared from the path to the mansion, carrying her purse and a disappointed frown. That was enough for the Fukoshi and the demons to ease their stances, though it was clear that Akane couldn't see the latter.

"When Raidou didn't arrive, I came here to see what was going on. Father, what are you thinking?" Although the reproving tone was meant for her father, Kotone felt the whiplash of her tone on the chief, from whom she was certain Dahn inherited his short temper. Still, she was pleased to witness this side of Akane.

"Outsiders would take interest if word of the Tento Lords got out. That would upset the Tento Lords, and if that happens, our village is done for," Akijiro said very quickly, like someone who didn't want to hear any more reprimands from their mother.

Akane sighed. "Father, don't you remember? Raidou _saved_ me from Dahn. Aren't you ashamed of yourself, taking her friend hostage and threatening her?"

Akijiro's eyes were downcast with shame. Narumi had enough presence of mind to keep his mouth shut, but he would have paid good money to get a photog of that.

"Okay, so, will you let me go now?" Tae asked, raising her hand slightly.

"Take her to the Fukuroku Inn," Akane said to the grey-masked Fukoshi in a commanding tone of voice. "And treat her well."

Without a protest from their chief, the Fukoshi obeyed. Kotone watched on, duly impressed – Satake would have been proud to see that exchange – not knowing how much her thoughts would mean to Akane.

Tae disagreed rather loudly with the idea that they should move on to the Tsukigata mansion without her, but Narumi managed to persuade her after many a plea. They were ushered into Akijiro's office, where under Akane's supervision the Tsukigata chief asked (demanded) that Raidou explain what had occurred in the Tento Sanctuary.

"That damn son of mine," Akijiro hissed when Kotone was finished, "I didn't think he'd be here already!"

Kotone could understand some of his confusion. Even she had underestimated Dahn – the Pojitrawn was something she never expected. Then again, she hadn't expected Oumagatsu, or her descendant from a century later. But Akijiro was his father – had the chief been so worried about pleasing those insects that he hadn't realized the extent of his son's capabilities?

"Akane, Raidou told me," Narumi admitted to the girl sitting across him. "About the Marriage Ritual, the Tento Lords, everything. We know. And…I know there's reasons behind the relationship between you, but – there's something to be said about resisting the status quo. You're entitled to a future too, y'know? Even," he said, glancing at Akijiro briefly, almost as if he was wondering why his throat hadn't been slit yet, "if it is something you learned from a certain young man."

Akane gave him only a smile. "Giving up my life is necessary to ensure a future for Tsukigata Village. I…wouldn't dream of resisting the wedding to the Tento Lords. It would hurt the Tsukigata name and the pride of the Tento Crest."

Akijiro listened to his daughter with pained pride, but turned to the outsiders with honest regret. "Narumi. Raidou. I asked you to chase after Dahn – and if Dahn entered the Tento Sanctuary – then of course, unaware of the circumstances, you'd follow him. I went too far, and I hope you can forgive me."

Narumi, Gouto and Kotone exchanged glances, maintaining their silence and allowing Akijiro to continue.

"Dahn is here, and things have gotten serious. I need your help. We can't let the Marriage Ritual fail…please…"

Kotone searched Akijiro's face for signs of pride and deceit and found none. He earnestly wanted to sacrifice his daughter to those insects – but he did it for the good of the Village. Nagi was correct. This was impossible.

"I'm asking you too, Raidou," said Akane, the only one who'd noticed the uncertainty in Kotone's blank visage. "Mr. Narumi. Completing the Marriage Ritual successfully…That's my last wish."

Akane's bottom lip quivered only once, and then her features were set as stone. Her resolve should have strengthened Raidou's, to complete the mission and do as she was told, but if anything it only began the process of its corrosion. At the moment, she could only keep up appearances for her friend's sake. "Miss Akane," she said, while her boss struggled to overcome his own reluctance to accept a poor girl's fate, "you have my word."

The next morning passed without much occasion. Akijiro became extremely worried about Dahn's possible attempts to steal away Akane before the Marriage Ritual and asked Kotone to stay with his daughter as reinforcement to his grey-masked Fukoshi. Narumi and Tae were joined at the hip during this time, just in case Akijiro went screwy again, and Gouto was only too happy to prowl around the scenic gardens of the Tsukigata Mansion. One advantage that came with being a cat was that no one really took notice of him.

Once, Geirin dropped by with Nagi, and while he would have preferred to say no, he couldn't refuse Tae's invitation for his apprentice to make a meal with them. Nagi hadn't much feminine interaction under his tutelage and, since it would only last till Raidou Kuzunoha remained in the village, he had even encouraged it. In any case, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th appeared to appreciate mellow company, seeing as Akane and Tae seemed to enjoy making a mess of the kitchen. How the Tsukigata daughter remained smiling with the Wedding hanging over their heads even he would never know, but he admired her for it all the same.

The eldest Summoner waited by a guest room within the Mansion in the company of Narumi and Gouto, who was pleased with Geirin's arrival. Even Raidou, tense as she was these days though no one appeared to notice, had a mischievous streak, it seemed, by mistranslating her ancestor with ease, so the cat thanked him when he did not follow her example.

Narumi saw it as something of an overgrown playdate, and was amused by the entire scenario: a beautiful feminist reporter, a daughter of an assassin's clan who loved baking, a foreign girl whose Japanese vocabulary was more complicated than an average citizen's, a female Great Summoner who dressed like a boy, all walk into a kitchen…seemed like a set-up for a bad joke. Later, when he was alone in his musings because Gouto and Geirin were caught up in their own conversation about being ancient summoner folk, Narumi thought that maybe it was.

That evening, as Akane slept (did she? Nagi herself was hard-pressed to), the Narumi Detective Agency minus the eponymous ex-army man scoured the Woods for Dahn with no results, not even a trace. He could only be found when he desired it, something Kotone wished didn't make her admire him to some twisted extent.

Another day passed without sight of Dahn. Security was even tighter, and Akijiro even requested Geirin and Nagi's presence in the Mansion. He no longer cared if the outsiders found this desperate. Geirin sensed the tension in the air and knew that even baking or cooking would not ease the nerves of his younger companions. In his youth, only one thing could ever remove the troubles from his mind, lighten the burden on his shoulders if just slightly.

"Sparring?" Narumi repeated, raising his head from its slouched position on the kitchen counter.

Geirin nodded. "The Marriage Ritual is tomorrow. If Akijiro's theory is correct, Dahn will attempt to stop it…and training will do you some good, Mr. Narumi. Gouto-douji tells me you were once a member of the army."

"Well, yeah," Narumi muttered. "But…"

"If it is necessary," said Akane, turning away from her kitchen duties, "then perhaps you should, Nagi, Kotone."

"If my Master suggests it, then the theory is surely sound," Nagi said to Tae.

"Come to think of it, I guess I've never really seen you fight," Tae agreed, grinning at Narumi. "I say go for it."

Narumi mumbled something about having to prove himself under his breath but pulled himself upright. "What do you think, Raidou? Wouldn't you rather rest before what might be a big battle?" He looked over his shoulder where Raidou had been kneading dough, only to find her station deserted. When he returned his gaze to the others, she was already waiting by the door, looking almost eager again. This was one hell of a week…but fine. A real gentleman would never back down from a challenge, right?

One of the Mansion's open areas was empty and deemed safe enough by Geirin. Tae and Akane had taken to watching by the sidelines while Geirin took the opportunity to train Nagi. Kotone had secretly desired to spar with the older Summoner, but revealed no disappointment when she saw that Nagi had asked him first. She needed the training, she supposed. Which left Narumi, who said he didn't know the first thing about using a sword, being more of a pistol man, so Raidou challenged him to a _mano a mano_ fight instead.

"I don't think it's mano a mano if you're a girl," Narumi said, having already been reluctant enough to even step into the grass. "No offense."

Kotone's lips tilted upward in amusement. "Boss, I meant combat with no weapons."

"Oh," Narumi muttered. "Great."

"Is that the best idea?" asked Gouto. "He might be a little rusty. Especially from what happened with Hishida's goons the other day."

At Narumi's inquisitive glance, Kotone replied, "Gouto asked if you were afraid to fight a girl merely a little more than half your age."

"Gouto!" Tae frowned, crossing her arms at the cat, who only pawed at his face in frustration.

"Really?" Narumi's quirked an eyebrow, but he couldn't deny that his masculine pride was urging him to agree. "You're playing _that_ card, Raidou?"

"Boss, it's only for training," said Kotone, removing her cape and tossing it beside Gouto. "I'm curious as to your fighting style, as is Miss Asakura."

"Yeah! Go, Narumi!" Tae whooped, clapping her hands while Akane chuckled. Sighing, Narumi showed his acceptance by removing his hat.

Of course, he thought a few minutes into the bout, it was silly for him to expect Raidou to remove her schoolboy cap. Was there ever a time when he didn't see her wearing it? Come to think of it, maybe she was hiding something under there. It was very unnatural for a girl to want to hide one of her best assets under that thing, after all—

The side of Raidou's arm hit the skin under Narumi's ear. "Concentrate," she said with a certain inflection he hadn't heard before.

"Right." Narumi lunged at Raidou with full force, but he couldn't throw his arm without some restraint. He landed a punch in her gut, which seemed to knock the wind out of her. Eyes widening, he asked, "Uh—Raidou—are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered, waving a hand towards her. She was asking for more? This wasn't sparring for nothing, he guessed, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help but see Raidou as…a girl. Someone he wanted to take care of, like a little sister he never had.

Until he saw that glint in her eye. They had probably been at it for twenty minutes already. Tae was cheering for them both, and Gouto was meowing in a way that seemed to be yelling or coaching in cat-speak. He had hit her shoulder, enough to hurt but not seriously, not the way she was starting to hit him. He could feel bruises forming in his arms where she hit him in an attempt to rile him up.

"Why, boss?"

"Why what?" asked Narumi, ducking from a swing and jumping from one of her surprise low-kicks. He was going straight for the hot baths in Fukuroku after this…

"Would you wish to lose before Miss Asakura," Kotone whispered, hitting him backward with the base of her palm.

"I" – her throws were beginning to get faster – "don't."

Kotone paused in her attempts to hit him only to speak. "Are you certain, boss?" There it was, that thing in her eyes that wasn't like Raidou at all. It was – something baser – something he'd seen in many of his comrades years ago, and recently in the demons he'd caught sight of in the Fukorutsubo. A desire for conflict. He wouldn't give in. "Even now, when intellect has begun to take importance, strength is still a deciding factor for societal structures. Structures like relationships."

"And?"

"I exchanged fisticuffs with the Tento Lords. At this rate…" Even Kotone felt like the lowest form of dirt for saying it, but she wanted a real fight with real blows exchanged, and this was the only way he would respond. Raidou hoped he would forgive him later, as she gave it a second thought, but Kotone didn't change her mind. "Should Akane not befit them for a wife, you might find Miss Asakura…missing…"

Narumi stopped, his eyebrows furrowing almost as deeply as they did when he saw Tae in the clutches of the Fukoshi days ago. "You don't mean that, Raidou."

"Perhaps you won't," Kotone shrugged, too eager to stop now, "if the Tento Lords pull their punch—"

He wasn't sure, but time must have stopped as Narumi's fist connected with Raidou's face. Everything seemed to come at a standstill. It was so surreal that he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't heard the blow himself, seen her eyes widen as she flew across the yard and felt the bruise forming in his knucklebones.

When Raidou hit the ground, time came rushing back.

"Kotone!" Tae gasped, before rearing at Narumi with a frown. "Shouhei!"

Still staring at his closed fist, approaching the still Raidou slowly, the detective shook his head. "I didn't—!"

Kotone propelled herself against her arms, lifted her legs, and leapt forward. Her feet landed on Narumi's stomach, throwing him off as well.

Groaning, Narumi didn't even bother getting up anymore. He was getting too old for this.

"I'm sorry, boss," said Kotone, when he accepted her hand and she pulled him to his feet. His stomach ached, but her eye was going to be _terrible_. Did he really do that to her? She also appeared to be genuinely apologetic, with that concerned twitch of her eyebrow. "I didn't mean anything I said. I only wanted—"

"A decent fight, I know," Narumi said, waving her off with the hand that wasn't lightly pressing his stomach. "It's my fault, too. Shouldn't have forgotten why we're here in the first place. I should know, right? With Tae?" he asked with a chuckle.

Kotone gratefully replied with a small smile. "Indeed."

The spar had ended on a light note, with Nagi properly chastised for being distracted by the fight between Narumi and Raidou, but the brief spar remained with Kotone until that evening, after dinner. Akijiro had allowed them to retire to the Fukuroku Inn, where Tae and Narumi raced to the hot baths before the reporter was summoned back to the Capital for an assignment. Gouto fell asleep immediately, but she couldn't bring herself to. It was cold.

She had felt lightheaded during the battle. What in Yatagarasu's name was happening? Control had always been her veil, her security blanket, and now she lost it faster than Gouto succumbed to the temptation of playing with Foxtails. Ever since Nagi had said that word – _passion _– everything went awry. No, it was much earlier than that. Ever since Dahn had bumped into her on the Ushigome-gaeri bridge…

Kotone tiptoed to the door and slid it closed when she left as quietly as possible. She had left her containment tubes in Narumi and Gouto's room – she hoped they'd be sound asleep. As she collected her white vest and situated it around her chest, throwing her cape over her shoulder, the tiniest purr broke the silence of Narumi's constant muttering as he tossed and turned and the creaking wood beneath her feet.

"Kotone…?" Gouto pawed at his face, his green eyes bright with moonbeams from the window as he yawned. "What are you doing?"

"Gouto. I'm going to make one last search."

"You should sleep," replied the cat, frowning, though it was clear that he could barely keep his eyelids open. "Tomorrow…"

"Tomorrow, if Dahn appears, we'll be ready. But if I can preempt…" Kotone nodded, slightly amused, when Gouto's snore reached her ears. "Sleep well, Gouto."

Light shone from Nue's eyes and mouth as he illuminated her path around the village. With the Repulse Water she had purchased yesterday morning, they reached the Mansion with little difficulty, save for Nue's heavy grunts whenever his paw pressed down on small, painful pebbles.

Why had she expected to see him tonight, or any other night after those two on the rooftops? If she were to be honest with herself, Kotone had considered the visits an unspoken agreement to continue them despite Dahn's status as the enemy of her client's father. And – she supposed – as her own.

It was wrong, obviously, thought the Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th who had worked herself to the bone to become worthy of her title. But their conversations had made them more than just (were she to base assumptions on Kaya's many pocketbooks) protagonist and antagonist, black and white enemies.

Even so, Raidou argued, she made a promise to Akane. And true warriors never swore to what they couldn't keep.

"Pointless," Kotone muttered, scratching the back of Nue's head and motioning for them to walk past the Fukuroku Inn, into the hot springs where she could relax. Maybe she could sleep here; it was too cold everywhere else.

"RAIDOU TIRED," Nue observed thoughtfully. "SLEEP NOW. NUE PROTECT SUMMONER."

Kotone nodded, patting Nue gratefully, when the fur on his back rose straight. The chimera began to snarl, baring his teeth at something ahead of them in the mist. Raidou squinted her eyes at the fog, briefly contemplating summoning Dominion or Aeros to clear the air, but the intruder made himself known before she could.

With a bemused grin, Dahn flowed into view, tossing something up and down in the air. He gave it to Nue, saying, "Down, boy."

Nue caught it between his teeth and looked about ready to maul the thing when he realized, with a cautionary hiss by his snake tail, that it was bread. Looking over his shoulder, he dropped it into his paw and held it out for his summoner to inspect.

Dahn caught Kotone's slight headshake of disapproval and sighed. "It ain't poisoned, if that's what you're thinkin'. _Wow_, did you walk into a door or somethin'?"

"Very well," said Kotone, nodding at her favorite pet demon while shooting down Dahn with an almost sour expression. The man in the red jinbaori raised his hands in surrender, grinning all the while, and she missed the furrow of his brow as he took a last focused glance at her swollen eye.

Oblivious to their exchange, Nue devoured the slice within a second. His bright eyes stretched into thin red lines as he grinned, patting his large belly. "MAN GIVE MMM DELICACY!"

Dahn quirked an eyebrow at him."It talks."

"He," Kotone corrected, expression blank as she added, "Most demons can speak, however narrow their vocabulary."

Dahn looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "Well, whaddya know," he said, and tossed Nue another piece of bread. The demon gobbled it up with gusto that pleased the assassin.

"Is there something you want, Dahn?" asked Kotone, crossing her arms. That was odd. She had been taught never to do that in a conversation, lest she reveal her inner thoughts; insecurity, fear, or something else entirely; to cross one's arms was frowned upon in hostile company. "Besides, of course, stopping the Marriage Ritual. We will surely meet in battle tomorrow."

Dahn smirked, the hot spring mist hiding the anger she had seen so vividly in the Tento Sanctuary. "Actually, I thought _you_ might want something, seein' as you were goin' round the Village lookin'for me."

"You presume beyond your capabilities," said Kotone.

Dahn wouldn't hand her the lie. "Well—was I wrong?"

Raidou gave no reply, so he only chuckled. "Since we're here, I thought I might get your name."

"Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th," Kotone answered, obviously. "Protector of the Capital."

"I _know_ that ain't your real name," Dahn grumbled, dismissing her attempt to keep secrets from him. "It's just a title – the way Nagi's gonna be Geirin when she gets over her little crush for the old man."

The assassin wore a proud expression for knowing. To his credit, citizens of the Capital were mostly clueless about this, but she had gathered from the villagers here and the way they spoke of Geirin and his apprentice that this wasn't rare knowledge in Tsukigata. Still, she nodded. "Not many know it's just a title."

"Must be hard goin' around with everyone wonderin' why you got a boy's name."

"Not particularly, no," said Kotone, unconsciously easing, failing to notice that the space between them could no longer be called a distance. "Most think I am a young man."

"Really? With that little button nose?"

Kotone's right hand flew over her nose.

Nue growled slightly. "NOSE OF SUMMONER FINE. IT CUTE."

"Didn't say it wasn't, big buddy," said Dahn, only too entertained by the demon's interference. It looked like it could maul him anytime it wished, but obviously it had a soft spot for the little cross-dresser before them. He found that he couldn't argue.

Kotone's black eyes met his hazel. Her back was still straight and her shoulders were as stiff as an armor's, but her expression was one of slight fatigue. He couldn't know how cold her fingers were, how hot her ears felt now. "Dahn—"

"See, that ain't fair," said the man, clicking his tongue and feigning a pout. "You get to call me by my given name whenever you want. _Dahn, finally, I've found you. Dahn, thank you for the luck locust. Dahn, I find you really interesting despite the fact that I may have to kill you…_ while I just know you as that pretty little summoner I'm gonna have to beat to save my sister tomorrow."

Nue may have been a demon, which, Dominion had taught him, was entirely different from a human, but if he knew anything about both races, he knew that sparks were essential to their lives. He felt something odd – something electrifying between his human and this food man. "MAN WITH FOOD HAVE POINT," he said, throat dry from the breadcrumbs, "WHY YOU NOT GIVE NAME, KOTONE?"

Dahn's eyes lit up. "Kotone…"

Nue smiled. Something sparked in his human when the food man said her name. He treasured her, knew they would give their lives for each other, but Kotone had always been rather dull – or maybe it was that most things were rather dull to her. There was hardly anything he had seen that could inspire sparks within her. The threat to this place, the Capital she had sworn to protect over all else, had sparked some renewed determination in Kotone, an inner power that demanded his respect as a demon to a worthy summoner, but the food man's spark was different; exciting.

Kotone would never have admitted it, however, as she sent Nue back to his tube. It wouldn't do to have Dahn curry the beast's favor. "Yes, Dahn?"

Dahn cleared his throat. "Finally, I've found you. Kotone…"

Kotone frowned, her hands dropping to her sides. When had he gotten so close?

He continued. "You're welcome for the luck locust. Kotone…"

Kotone swallowed involuntarily. So this was what Lilim had coerced her into doing to Satake? In her most stern voice, she replied, "Wh…at."

"I think you're interesting," he said, and like a wisp of a feather his finger lightly touched her cheek before swiftly pulling back, "despite the fact that I may have to kill you, too." Dahn grinned again, that same one he gave her when they first met on the Ushigome-gaeri bridge. It was overconfident – fitting, Kotone thought – but now, under the moonlight, she saw that it was also terrified and angry.

"You could be visiting Akane," said Kotone, forcing down a shudder. "Why waste your time with me, the one obstacle to your success?"

"Geirin and Nagi're gonna be there tomorrow too, y'know."

"Yes. But you know very well with whom it is your father trusts Akane now."

Dahn snorted, the hand nearing her face withdrawing and reaching up to ruffle his own hair. "I wondered if all the winnin' ever got to your head."

"There is always somebody stronger," said Kotone. "Perhaps Geirin the 17th was more powerful in his prime, but the sands of time have weathered him down."

Dahn appeared thoughtful. "What are you gonna do when that somebody stronger comes along?"

"I've often wondered," said Kotone, shrugging. But the truth was that she had never considered it. "We'll see – when the time comes."

Dahn smiled. "It's cute when you do that."

Kotone sucked in a heavy breath. The close proximity was beginning to suffocate her. "Do what, Dahn?"

"Try to sound all smart and mature when you're around me."

Kotone forced a smirk. "I do no such thing."

"You just did. I've seen you with that detective and your cat, y'know. You act different when you're with 'em. Or with anyone else. Even Geirin and Nagi."

Kotone wondered if he was right. She didn't think it might be a possibility until he'd pointed it out. After all, she'd never thought of anyone in the manner she had of him. Still, nothing would come from proving his conjecture sound. "What are you trying to prove?"

"That—"

"Dahn," Kotone interrupted. She was – _afraid_? – to hear what he had to say.

"Kotone."

She peered into his eyes. He was so handsome, so caring to those he loved. But the Pojitrawn, and Gouto, and—the Yatagarasu.

Kotone tore her gaze away. She couldn't understand why he was too much for her to handle, tonight, but she knew in her soul that if she'd looked any longer, she would never be able to kill Dahn Tsukigata.

"Wait, don't go." Dahn grabbed her wrist as she turned to leave. Mechanically, she half-turned, clenched his upper arm, and flipped him over. "Ow! Damn!" he cried in a whisper. "What in the hell was that for?"

She released him as though scalded. "Oh—my mistake. I'm not accustomed to" – _men_ – "touching. Me. Without warning."

Dahn pulled himself up, his amusement stopping him from shooting her a dirty look. His tailbone would suffer in the morning for that. "Okay then…come with me. There's one last thing I want to show you. Woulda shown you sooner, but with Nagi nosin' around an' all…"

"Nagi means well." And Kotone had been immensely grateful for her presence. Had she not screamed at the sight of the Old One…

"I know, I know," Dahn sighed, reaching out to take her wrist again, but refrained from it just in time. "Now, you comin' or what?"

"You heard Gouto earlier—or perhaps you didn't," she realized. He'd only figured out that Raidou was a title, after all. She shouldn't expect him to know everything about her. "I was supposed to apprehend you in your Pojitrawn chamber."

"Pretty sure my dad made it clear that you were s'posed to apprehend me on the rooftops," Dahn retorted. "But you didn't care much about his orders then. This ain't a trap, Kotone. You know I'm not that type of fighter."

Kotone watched him carefully, suspiciously, but the action was halfhearted. "I know."

"Then shut up and follow me," said Dahn, making his way out of the Resort Environs. He'd prepared a boat with which to cross the river and reach the larger farming proper of the village.

Kotone stared at the boat thoughtfully. It looked rickety and swayed about as if her stepping in would cause it to fall apart, though she knew it was only the water. She thought to call the "Great" Tarrasque, steady, stable and swift, but he was certain to be asleep or so drunk that they might have better chances on the boat. "That trick of yours you use to disappear and appear wherever you wish—why not use that?"

Dahn replied only when he'd already jumped into the boat and held onto the oars. "_That_ involves goin' through the Fukorutsubo. Sure you wanna put yourself through that again?"

Kotone stayed silent and joined him inside, taking careful steps as opposed to his precarious leaping. "Row on."

Dahn chuckled and obeyed. A breeze riding aloft the river tousled his hair again, but his curls seemed planted firmly on his head and only the wisps at the edges followed it willingly. It was nothing like the air atop the Ginroukaku roof – this air was cold, eerie, filled with chirping insects. A woman near the entrance of the village had once said to her that the insects were rejoicing – she knew now why. Bugs abounded in Kuzunoha village, too, but at least she knew those were proper insects – insects created from forced copulation between bugs and a human female were unnatural; downright abominable.

"Guess you really are a girl."

Kotone brushed aside her disgust to pay attention to the man rowing the boat. Dahn was smirking at her. For some reason, she didn't find that as challenging as she might usually have. "What do you mean?"

Dahn shrugged. "You won't get wrinkles – that's why you don't smile, right? I can count all the emotions you've ever shown on my fingers. Mild surprise, mild irritation, and a whole lot of _smug_."

Kotone's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't presume to know me. Knowing one's own power isn't wrong."

"Oh, I think I know you–" Dahn growled. "You work your ass of for your clan and you never get any thanks. That should be fine, right? You're only doin' your duty. And you have so much power – only you won't use it for something good. Maybe you got to convince yourself that you actually liked the hell you went through, but you _know_ your clan owes you for savin' its ass more than enough times you can count. And the one time you ask for somethin'…"

He trailed off. His words made her feel uneasy, like and yet not so like many things about him did. His voice, his smile, his close proximity. His words possessed weight, and truth, but he wouldn't invade her inner thoughts like Lilim. And she had never asked for anything from the clan, save for the restoration of her friend who joined Gouto to the Tai-Itsu. That was still pending.

"You speak of yourself," she said, hiding her surprise at her own realization of it. "You asked them to spare Akane. I yield that you were raised an assassin under the Yatagarasu's orders, but you have the power to do good, greater, and yet you waste it and instead hope that by driving people into despair with your luck locusts, you might save both your clan and Akane."

Dahn's eyes flashed. "They…they won't always despair. Don't you get it? Just until I become King Abaddon! Then I'll return their luck and your Capital will go back to normal! I told you that, right?"

His voice echoed across the river, breaking the music of the crickets and driving the world into absolute silence. Dahn seemed to notice it, too, and remembered his assassin's stealth, but the whisper his voice took wasn't a product of that. "Why can't you get it…?"

"In folklore, Abaddon is a—"

"We're here," Dahn interrupted, clearly wanting to hear none of it. He'd brought her here to convince her, not have her persuade him out of everything he'd started. What other way to save Akane was there, and when did she have any kind of influence like that, anyway?

They tiptoed through the village proper quietly past some trees to climb a small slope towards what the Tsukigata villagers called the Tento Springs. It was a plateau dotted with old, identically brown but mossy wells separated by large crevices in the ground. Dahn jumped across where a broken hanging bridge should have stood and looked back, a smirk spreading across his face. In the darkness, Kotone only looked at him curiously. He had been upset moments ago. It wasn't like humans to let go of their anger so quickly.

"I know you can jump this," said Dahn, holding a hand out tauntingly. "I got a bruise from our first battle to prove it." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as though realizing that it was still quite painful to remember.

Kotone took a few steps back for a running start and then bounded over the crevice. It hadn't been necessary, but Dahn caught her by the hand and cut her momentum short all the same. "You're welcome," Dahn whispered.

Kotone didn't think it was necessary either, but her mind was elsewhere. She could feel the humming of his throat on her own neck, and her eyelids fluttered in her attempt not to shiver. She cleared her throat when she mastered herself again. What in the world had happened? "Yes," she muttered, tugging her hand from his, if slowly. Touch gave one such odd sensations. "Thank you."

Dahn shrugged and strode over to a well near the edge of the hill. At its base was a Tento Crest and the number 3. He held out his hand again. "Gimme your talisman."

Kotone stared at hm.

"Really? You're doing this now, after you followed me to a secluded area in the village without telin' your friends?"

Kotone handed him the talisman. Dahn etched something into it and then returned it, saying, "Put it over the crest."

"And then…?"

"And then you'll know what to do. I'll meet you inside."

"Why?"

"Why?" Dahn laughed. "What, miss me already?"

Kotone continued to watch him without a definite expression, knowing that showing anything else would prompt a laugh.

Dahn shook his head, still grinning. "Got some appearances to keep up. Can't have my men wonderin' where I am, now, can I? I'll be back, quick. Anyway, the Mushibito aren't jerkwads like the Old Ones. I want you to meet their Lord – my benefactor. Hopefully he'll be there – if I can't convince you, maybe he can."

"Mushibito?"

But Dahn was already preparing the Fukorutsubo spell, and only gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. Before she could react, he disappeared with a ripple.

Kotone touched the edges of the Tento Talisman. She didn't like walking into unknown territory – at least, not without Gouto. He had always been with her for these things. But she figured that if a Great Summoner could not function without the aid of a cat, then she wasn't much of a Great Summoner at all. So she pressed the Talisman into the Crest.

The well rumbled disturbingly. Kotone drew her sword instinctively, half-expecting a great demon to appear and laugh at her naivete, but it didn't happen. She peered into the well and saw that all traces of the water had vanished. There was only a ladder inside leading deep into the earth. Far below she could see a familiar source of unnatural light, but she wasn't yet certain. Safely inserting the Talisman into a belt pocket, Kotone climbed down.

It resembled the Tento Sanctuary; whatever this place was. The lights were the caverns, dark blue and sparkling with minerals like the stars Gouto described as having seen in space. She felt somewhat guilty about lying to her great ancestor, but he wouldn't have understood. He would call it consorting with the enemy and order her to apprehend Dahn at once – which, said something in her mind she once called common sense, might be the proper thing to do, but only if this entire case was made of circumstances black and white. There were so many variables here that made her doubt even Gouto and Narumi, in whom she had always possessed complete faith. And even they were uncertain.

Dahn was the worst variable of all.

But Kotone had little time to think on him, because something that sounded suspiciously like a bug was buzzing just a little ways from her. Raidou drew her sword, whirling at the source, but it was only an Old One. She would attack it, but he wasn't hissing at her or cursing her or summoning great grasshoppers to destroy her. He seemed as if he was talking to himself.

"Gggh… He's here… He's real lyhere… The _hu manfrom the well_… Jus tasthe prophecy said…"

"Prophecy," Kotone paused. "What might—"

"Ohh…Finally…She will come! Great Ma…in thes ky…is watching!" said the Old One, waving his hands in the air in an almost humorous manner. But he was serious in his rejoicing, and it was quite unnerving to Kotone. Great Ma, from the lullaby? He continued. "We Mushibito…theb roken…thes tun ted…we willb esaved! Ahh…I must…tellthe Lord…"

With another wave of his arms, he ran off into the caves. Kotone stared after him, taking small, wary steps to follow him. A Mushibito that Dahn had mentioned. How were they any different from the Old Ones? Besides, she supposed, the fact that they didn't attack her on sight.

The Mushibito cave was much like that of the Old Ones. In fact, it was nearly identical, and she almost expected Dahn's older friend to direct her along the area. Unstable wooden bridges connected the Mushibito's homes in the fashion of the Old Ones, and they stood about idly, too. They seemed much more relaxed, however, greeting her anxiously as she passed them – but they greeted her nonetheless.

They were also quite eager to talk. One spoke of how he had created the children's lullaby about Great Ma, while the others scorned the Old Ones. They were of the same race, but these insectile people did not wear shrouds or hats or attempt to hide their disfigurement save for a mask that showed only their pupilless eyes and antennae. The Mushibito did not pretend to be gods, nor ask for females to mate with. Apparently, they had given Dahn the luck locusts, but how they created them without humans she did not understand. Kotone had been about to ask the Mushibito with whom she was conversing when another reached up and tapped her on the shoulder.

It was easier not to feel disgust when she knew the Mushibito didn't take advantage of human females. And she wasn't entirely sure, but Kotone had a feeling it was the same Mushibito who'd danced at her arrival earlier at the base of the well. "Yes?"

"Your arri val here…wasin the prophecy," he began, leading her into a smaller room with several shoeboxes and cases. "Our Lord…told us…the _hu manfrom the well_ has…two names...When Iask thehu man's true name… the onefrom the well…I will know…for certain…"

"Kotone," said the summoner, hoping it would speed up the process of their conversation. These bug-men spoke awfully slowly. "That is my true name."

Raidou's eyebrows furrowed when the Mushibito appeared to convulse and moan. After a minute of the episode, the Mushibito collected itself and said, "It is…the same…asthe name…in our Lord's…pro phecy…!"

Kotone would have reacted curiously if she hadn't felt a familiar surge of power discharge from behind her just as the Mushibito cried out joyfully, "Lord Bellzeboo!"

"Bellzeboo…I see." Setting down his traveling bag, Louis tightened his gloves and stared at the entranced Mushibito. "To he who calls himself a Mushibito…it seems that I am the Lord of the Flies."

Then he wasn't human. But Kotone had always known that, somehow. "Louis," she greeted, for the sake of formality. Although she no longer expected an answer, Raidou still asked, "You are the Lord these Mushibito speak of?"

The jewels in the cavern brightened his blue eyes – or was it the other way around? – as the young foreigner arranged his tie. "If you're here, Kotone, then I think I may safely tell you – just as I appear differently to this Mushibito than I do to you, a man's actions may bestow hope to some, but not to others."

"Dahn sent me here, saying you might convince me to his cause." Kotone nodded, urging him to continue. His words were always meaningful; now she only wished she could understand what they meant before his clues manifested into real events. Hishida, for example. What puzzled her was that Louis was an outsider, so how could Dahn have faith in him? But perhaps he, too, could sense that Louis possessed true power.

"According to the Scriptures that contain God's word to man, when people obtain the key which opens the bottomless pit, the King-Who-Is-The-Abyss will descend upon us from that pit. I believe you call him _Abaddon_."

"So Abaddon is truly an existing entity? Not a—"

"The bottomless pit will open once the people's despair in God is sufficient to become that key. To despair in God, after all, is to despair in the world God has made. Now that the balance has swung towards misfortune for the place you today call the Capital…why," said Louis, appearing genuinely thoughtful, as though he hadn't rudely interrupted, "misfortune will only breed more misfortune, won't it? Imagine it – a future where one can expect nothing but misfortune. Do you think the Capital's denizens can bear it without despairing in the world God has made?"

"I won't allow a future like that," said Kotone. Where Dahn's eyes had burned into hers, Louis's left her feeling cold. But then he smiled, and though rational thought insisted it felt ominous, she was hypnotized by the soft regard that appeared to have overcome his features. It became him, and she couldn't help the sideward tilt of her head, the slight parting of her lips in awe. His beauty was otherworldly.

"I know," said Louis, and suddenly Kotone felt as though she could tell him absolutely anything in the world, even the darkest secrets within the deepest recesses of her soul.

How she missed Kaya and Rin's company; how the visions she had been presented with in the Akarana Corridor left her reluctant to face the future. How she'd tried to explain what would happen two decades from now to the council, only for them to dismiss her, to her great frustration, and how this weakened her trust in the Kuzunoha elders. How she had begun to trust solely on her own abilities and her demons' in her duty to protect the Capital thanks to the Red Cape Incident rather than the advice of the village council, and how Dahn Tsukigata, though human with his temper and troubles and handsome though not quite as beautiful and collected as Louis, had occupied her mind for the past few days in a way she refused to acknowledge—

"Interesting."

Kotone broke out of her stupor. "Pardon me?"

Louis only smirked, his kind smile but a memory. "It seems," said the blond foreigner, "that in our meeting here, _you_ have provided me with a spark."

Raidou had no idea what he was talking about, but it was in his nature to be cryptic and impossible, so she only nodded. "I see."

"I would thank you," he said, his fingers brushing her cheek lightly, and then disappeared. Her face buzzed from the touch of him, but Kotone knew better than to wonder at the hot twinge below her stomach and his disappearance.

Outside, the Mushibito danced to a melodious tune from a flute one of their kinsmen was playing.

"Thep rophecy…it came true…!" another cheered, while the rest whistled joyfully. The first Mushibito Kotone had ever seen was blowing the flute; he stood on a bridge post, surrounded by the rest, their buzzing creating a celebratory din that made her almost smile. She had never received such praise, and for something she hadn't even consciously done. The Mushibito convulsed at different rhythms, a disturbing sight (to say the least), but Kotone recognized it as a dance and kept her distance as she searched for the man who'd sent her here. Had he known of the prophecy?

"There you are," said Dahn, hand clasping around her shoulder, releasing Kotone only when she acknowledged him with a whirl. "Been lookin' all over for you." Chuckling at his friends celebrating around him, he said, "Never seen 'em so happy. What did you say to 'em?"

"Nothing," she answered, concealing her sudden uneasiness. If Dahn was unaware of the prophecy that Louis had given his trusted friends… "It was – Louis. But he said nothing to persuade me."

"So you did meet him," Dahn muttered. Kotone couldn't tell by his tone if he was glad or dismayed to hear it. "Said he wanted to meet anyone who ever stood in my way... Can't say I didn't try. What'd you think?" His eyes narrowed and a stiff grin formed over his lips. His accent was suddenly as thick as the rest of his subordinates'. "Y'like 'im, don't yew? Yer both so calm…"

Kotone shrugged, purposely forgetting her encounter with him in the small cavern – she had been so dazed that she could barely remember what had transpired. "He is confusing, at best. How did you come to know him?"

"These guys," Dahn explained, spreading his arms to signal the Mushibito. "They've been loads of help to me."

"Something I've wondered," Kotone started. "You say the Marriage Ritual is necessary for the birth of new familiars for the 8th Fukoshi clan. These Mushibito, however, crafted the luck locusts for you without so much as a thought to a woman."

Dahn seemed to have expected this and shook his head as if to say he admired her failed attempt at making a point. "They can only make little ones, like luck locusts. Nothin' fatal."

"Luck locusts are _fatal_," Raidou insisted with a frown.

"Not fast enough is what I mean," Dahn countered, rolling his eyes. "They can't make the big ones without Tsukigata girls, like my Taromaru and the Tentomaru."

"You possess such fear of Tentomaru," Kotone noted aloud as she grimaced inwardly in disgust. Virility, then, was the key to these great locusts. "You must've known he was not undefeatable."

"Right…" Dahn supplied no reason for their immobility during the battle, but she'd somehow gotten past that when he rowed her across a quiet river in a tiny rickety canoe and when he grinned all of a sudden. "Y;know, when you beat them and that thing into the next decade – that was amazing."

The cheering had gotten louder all of a sudden, rendering his voice unheard. Kotone wondered if they could be heard from above; if not yet, then soon, to be sure. "I'm sorry?"

He leaned closer, pausing right over her ear, before weighing his words and shaking his head. "Nothin'."

"Tell me," she insisted loudly, craning her neck to meet his eyes, and unknowingly frowned.

Dahn stared at her for a moment. If she thought looking at him like that was going to make him say anything, well – he grunted. "Let's get outta here," he shouted, and paved a way through his friends out of their own Sanctuary and up the well.

To Kotone's lasting surprise, she could hear nothing as soon as her feet touched the ground above. "What was it?"

"When you kicked them Tento Lords' asses – and Tentomaru's," he said reluctantly, "it was pretty impressive. Thanks."

"…Oh." Kotone paused, waiting for him to reveal the joke, but it didn't come. Deep in the caverns, she'd thought he spoke of his amazement at himself for some reason or another. "I see."

Dahn scratched the back of his head as they returned to the river, wrinkling his nose at her. "Well, don't start blushin' on me or anythin'—"

"You shouldn't thank me – I didn't do it for you."

Dahn stopped, hopped into the boat and took a second glance at her. He considered offering her a hand as she moved to step in, but by the time he made his decision, she was already sitting across him. "…I know. You did it for Akane. Am I wrong?"

Kotone caught the hope that glanced his expression and shook her head. "That meant nothing. It was a moment of passion – I can't allow it to happen again."

His slighted pride – or something else – revealed itself in a frown. "_Why_?" he demanded. Dahn slowed his rowing for a second, but after what appeared to be a second of contemplation he sped up against the river flow and reached the other side much faster than their first trip across. When Kotone jumped to land quickly, he noisily dropped the oars into the canoe and followed her. Dahn caught up easily and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him. "You feel. Ah know yew do. And yew care about Akane! Why're yew bein' so stubborn?"

Raidou made a move as if to swipe his hand away, but he'd already released her. Until now, nobody had ever made her want to scream at him, shove him, demand why he couldn't understand her side of the argument. Even for Rasputin, whom she'd considered some sort of pseudo-rival (only because he cheated), Kotone had only felt a collected indignation. "Dahn," she asked very slowly, "would you say – that we are friends?"

Dahn maintained his frustrated countenance, but his expression softened. He looked almost as confused as she felt. "I don' know," he muttered, his thick accent fading with his anger. "If we were…you'd understand why I've gotta do this. You wanted to talk about duty? What about my duty as a brother?"

"If we were," Kotone nodded reluctantly. Suddenly she felt like a hypocrite, criticizing Nagi for all her hypothetical situations – when she'd dreamt up her own, too. Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th had never felt as fallible as she did now. "You would understand that I have my people to consider. My duties as a summoner far encompass those as a friend – to Akane, or to you. It prides me little to say it."

"Your people?" Dahn scoffed. "They don' even know yew! They'll never appreciate what yew do for them! To hell with duty!"

"You say that, but it goes the same for you and your villagers, doesn't it?" asked Raidou, slowly detaching herself from the conversation as she had trained to as a child, ignoring the searing pain in her left chest. In truth, there was no point in arguing. They had already chosen sides. "If you cared not for the welfare of your villagers, you would depose the Old Ones without causing such mayhem in my Capital, but you go these lengths precisely because you want to keep them and Akane safe. You said it yourself days ago. Am I wrong?"

Dahn had never been one to lie. He looked almost regretful as he said, resignedly, "It's moot, then. I was hopin'…we wouldn't end this like it did in the Pojitrawn chamber."

"It needn't," said Kotone. "It was Gouto's desire to apprehend you; not mine."

"Who's Gouto?"

She always forgot others couldn't hear Gouto. "Oh. He is an agent of the Yatagarasu, much like Mr. Narumi, who monitors my every action."

Dahn wondered how that was possible, when she was only ever with that black cat, but grinned. "Oh. Well, figured that, too."

Raidou broke his mirth with a shrug. "I can't go easy on you tomorrow if you interfere."

Dahn's features hardened, his expression cold. "I don't expect you to, Kotone."

The Kuzunoha shook her head and made ready to turn back for the direction of the Fukuroku Inn. "Good night."

The Tsukigata watched her go. "…Yeah. Wait, Kotone."

She glanced back. "Yes, Dahn?"

"I ain't gonna hold back, either."

Raidou inclined her head in acknowledgment, and then he disappeared. During their encounter, the temperature in the area surrounding her had increased, but rest wouldn't come. Kotone wasn't certain how long she was turning uneasily in her futon when she saw light creeping in through their window – she hoped it was only the moon – and she realized, more than anything, how much she wished for both Akane and Dahn Tsukigata to survive the ordeal tomorrow, before sleep finally claimed her.

* * *

"Are you ready…?"

Raidou glanced to her left. Nagi stood facing the Tento-Kagura, but her ice blue eyes were downcast. The girl's voice was so soft that if she hadn't felt the fluctuation of her companion's signature behind her as she heard the question, she wouldn't have been certain if Nagi spoke at all.

The three summoners had arrived much earlier than the rest of the attendants to survey the area, make certain there were no rebel Fukoshi in sight. Gouto and Narumi had stayed behind with Mezuki and Akane to make sure she arrived at the Tento-Kagura safely. It was pointless, since Dahn's men possessed the Fukorutsubo, and while Akijiro's grey Fukoshi could probably find them, there was no doubt in her mind that Dahn would find a way to interrupt the Ritual no matter the obstacle.

"As much as one can be," she replied for answer's sake. The truth of it was that Kotone couldn't remember a day she dreaded more than this; her awful exam weeks in high school paled in comparison, altogether a different world from this. If the Marriage Ritual was completed, Akane would be lost to them forever – and she couldn't fathom how Dahn would react. Going berserk was a distinct possibility, though it might seem a stretch. And if she didn't, because Dahn succeeded in stopping it – well, Kotone thought remorsefully, she could never allow it to happen.

"All we can do is watch Miss Akane sacrifice herself," Nagi continued, her voice almost wavering, but she controlled it before it reached a childish tremble. She was a little more collected than days ago. "I've never felt so powerless. Even as Devil Summoners, we can't interfere – Raidou, isn't there anything we can do? Is this truly what the Yatagarasu wants?"

"Only the Herald can speak for the Yatagarasu," Raidou answered. But indeed she had asked the question herself this morning, only to come to a stunning realization. She wondered if she had already felt this way a year ago – or if it had occurred after both the Herald and the council had brushed her away like a child instead of an equal. "But Great Summoners are trained to think not in terms of the Yatagarasu's happiness but the safety of the people under their protection. Geirin is the reigning Summoner here – if he believes in supporting Akijiro, then…" Kotone felt so small. "Then his judgment is final."

"That is correct, Raidou. Your consideration is appreciated," said Geirin, accompanied by the heavy clicking of his boots. "Nagi, prior to a mission is not the time to express doubts." His tone became one of a reprimand, so Kotone turned in the other direction and pretended not to hear. "You must eliminate this uncertainty. How many times must I tell you? You may struggle all you want in theory, but the situation will not change."

His last words made the newly ignited fire within Kotone roar in sudden resentment. When she trained all those years ago, when she continued to fight until now, she had never expected to be faced with such a statement. She fought exactly so that nobody could ever tell her such a hateful thing. Still, Raidou tempered her thoughts and kept a pleasant countenance.

It didn't escape Geirin's notice, however. "Is something the matter, Raidou?"

"No," she said, meeting his gaze and then looking opposite the direction of the Tento-Kagura. To her good fortune, she could see Narumi, Akijiro, Akane and the rest of the bride's party coming down the road. "I sensed a presence and realized it was only Gouto-douji. His old soul is a wonder."

"Ah. Indeed," agreed Geirin before setting his sights on Akijiro as well. To Nagi, he said, "You will stay here," before beckoning to Kotone. Nodding, Raidou set out of her station beside Nagi and went forward to meet the unfortunate bride

Akijiro put her, Narumi and Geirin in the last line of defense, right next to Akane. Kotone had never participated in a war, but she would suppose that if this was one and the mission was to protect something sacrosanct, then her position was one of great importance – at least, if she lacked the heart to think of anything but Akane's fate. A part of her wanted to slay Akane if only to spare her, but that would strip Akane of her choice and help only her peace of mind, and Great Summoners always worked towards the greater good.

Nagi was lucky, in her opinion – she stayed at the foot of the stairs leading to the shrine, behind the lines of grey-masked Fukoshi ready to repel Dahn's forces. She wouldn't have to endure the ritual itself, though Raidou knew her duty was just that – to endure. She reminded herself of the Purification Ritual and remembered there were worse things; if she could only think of anything that was.

Narumi was discussing something with Geirin below while Akijiro's men set up for the Ritual. The chief himself had entered the Tento Sanctuary, perhaps to inform the bug-men below that the ritual was about to begin. Kotone still curled her lip inwardly in disgust at the memory of one of the Old Ones sniffing Nagi and mentioning that he had some time left before the Marriage Ritual.

"Hello, Raidou." Akane took a seat beside her as they waited. She was beautiful, of course, wearing traditional wedding garments and make-up that was neither lacking nor excessive, that if combined with a genuine smile from her mouth would make for the perfect bride, but Kotone had spent enough days with her to know the one on her lips was merely theatrics.

"Miss Akane," she greeted, because before Akijiro's other subordinates Raidou was still an outsider, and so their chief's daughter must also treat her like one, though only a little more amicably, and she respected this.

Kotone couldn't find any more to say. She was hoping they could part with her uttering some sort of wisdom, as many would expect of a Great Summoner, but in a case like this Kotone could only offer one thing. She was reaching for her revolver when Akane finally broke the silence.

"Please tell me about Mr. Satake."

Kotone wore a curious expression without knowing it, but understood that in times of pain, many focused themselves on everything but the situation at hand. She would humor her friend before she sacrificed herself completely. "I had nearly forgotten – that in the beginning, I disliked Satake."

"Why is that?" she asked with a hint of true pleasance on the edges of her lips. Kotone's spirits lifted a little. Akane's face seemed brighter already.

"Satake spends much of his time in a bathhouse. When I first entered, I insisted on wearing a towel, unable to hide that I was a woman. His men attempted to…harm me, believing I'd come from the Red Light district."

Akane looked horrified. "No!"

Raidou shrugged. "An honest mistake on their part, though they came out of the tussle more than quite scathed. But the main reason was that the boss immediately informed me that Satake led an organized crime business," she explained. "When the council first sent me to the Capital, I believed that anything labeled as crime should be punished. But I discovered that there are greater evils…and there existed an honor and dignity to Satake that I could not find easily in other men. And some things, though not innately good, are not always evil."

Had it been any previous time, Akane might have listened, but as it was she only glossed over Kotone's words and continued the conversation how she had intended it. "Is he married?"

Raidou blinked down at Akane. Oh, yes, they were talking about Satake. "No," she answered. "One might say he is married to his work. But he has shared with the Narumi Detective Agency his desire for a permanent relationship."

"I…I see," said Akane, and suddenly her mood seemed darker. Kotone was confused. Had she said something upsetting as she answered the question? Perhaps Akane envied Satake because he was free to do as he wished without the constraints of family ties, her complete antithesis?

Akijiro's subordinates were finished with the preparations and were moving down from the Tento-Kagura to review the security detail with the others downstairs. Raidou was glad they looked with disdain upon her, because she needed time alone with the bride.

"Akane," said Kotone, switching out her gun and demonstrating as she spoke, "You cock, you aim, and you shoot. Take it in the small chance that you change your mind.

Akane's eyes widened. She tried to shake the gun from her hands, but Kotone kept a firm clasp over them and forced her to take it. "Kotone, I cannot…I could never kill the Tento Lords."

"It has six rounds; you understand that the solution needs only one."

Akane took a sharp breath in comprehension, but continued to shake her head. "But this is your weapon."

"Take it as a gift," Raidou insisted, suddenly feeling very old and weary. "Because there's nothing else I can give you."

Tears welled up in Akane's eyes, blurring her vision, but she could see none in Raidou's, swollen eye and not. Had it cleared she might have seen them misting, but Kotone blinked quickly when Akane pulled her into an embrace. She accepted it with a few genuine pats on the older female's back.

"No one has ever done anything like this for me before," said Akane, blinking away a sob when she released Raidou.

"There is another," said Kotone, glancing around, but she could sense no exhilarating presence within her immediate vicinity. She disliked that these Fukoshi men could travel without detection. "He is late. I am certain he will arrive, no matter the cost."

Akane looked at her fondly. "Kotone…" But the expression turned businesslike, suddenly, as she set her eyes past her companion. "Thank you."

Raidou discovered the reason why seconds later. Akane rose gravely from her seat; Akijiro emerged from the Tento Sanctuary. No one had thought it possible, but the air grew heavier and more oppressive. The skies darkened, or perhaps it was her imagination as the Chief spoke.

"It's time."

* * *

What did you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the chapter! It was very difficult writing this one - I didn't feel like I balanced Kotone and Raidou well enough, especially since she's starting to give form to and acting on her emotions regarding Akane, Dahn, and the Yatagarasu/the Kuzunoha clan. I'm not so sad about how it came out, but I could've done better if I thought on it more, maybe?

My perspective on it was that when faced with a problem she wasn't prepared for (and she was prepared for many things, I would think), a Kuzunoha village summoner like Kotone would refer to the basic rules taught to her as a child - like control, etc. - to try to make sense of things, only to find that the formula doesn't work so well when there are extraneous variables like the Tsukigata siblings involved than when it is learned in theory, in the safe confines of the Kuzunoha village. I just think. Plus after she became friends with Kaya and Rin, I think Raidou forgot that there's such a thing as conflict of interest when you get involved with people from a case you're working on. It doesn't help that she keeps it a secret from Narumi, who could have been able to advise her otherwise.

Still, I'm not so sure that even if he did tell her, that she'd be able to resist Dahn ;D haha! After all, girls like Kotone wouldn't really get hit on where she comes from, so Dahn's nature would be something new to her. She'd definitely be more aware of it though. Why am I saying these things? I guess it's just to let you know my train of thought when it came to writing Kotone here. If you think differently, please share! I'm curious XD

And of course, what did you think about the other scenes? :)

REVIEW! And see you soon, I hope!

Have fun with your festivities during the break, and Happy New Year in advance, everybody!


	8. Under My Feet

**Full summary:** We all know the story: A year after the Red Cape incident, the Yatagarasu senses another disturbance in the Capital and the mantle of Raidou Kuzunoha must be taken up once more. Narumi's still a bum, Tae's still fighting for her rights in the workplace, and Gouto still denies his love of Foxtails. Only this time, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th is...a girl?

Wow, it actually took my a year this time. I'm sorry, I have no excuses. I just lost interest sometimes and continued whenever I picked up interest. :( But I've got to finish this! I have such dreams for Kotone, and a sequel. (I know, right, impossible at the rate I'm going...)

It's been forever, but I'll reply to reviews anyway! In general, at least. I'll try to answer most of your questions. Here goes!

**Yes**, 'tis a Dahn/Kotone/Louis pairing. Dahn is more evident and is the main contender, and Louis - well, he's there. He isn't actually trying to seduce her or anything, he just knows he's beautiful. Not that this won't go anywhere. But at this early stage, Louis' interest in Kotone does not stretch beyond the interest of a player to a pawn. Fighting Louis may happen in the sequel that may or may not occur! When she is more powerful. And thank you for saying that she's in-character! Well, as well as that may go with a silent protagonist, at least. Haha! Thanks for all your reviews! If anyone still bothers to review this chapter, I'll go back to reviewing them one by one in the next chapter. I just didn't want to with this one because you've probably already forgotten you wrote them and I don't want to pressure anyone into reviewing. Haha!

Also, here we see Kotone going the other way! Er, alignment-wise. Hehe! Not to mention Jack Frost is here! Just for a bit. He doesn't quite fancy being in fanfiction. Also, thank you **Materioptikon** for the mano y mano/mano a mano correction. I was wondering about it!

Previously on Sparks:

_No one had thought it possible, but the air grew heavier and more oppressive. The skies darkened, or perhaps it was her imagination as the Chief spoke._

_"It's time."_

* * *

_Chapter 8: Under My Feet_**  
**

The ceremony was quick, but hardly painless. Raidou watched Akijiro for its duration and saw that though he had lived longer and experienced a lifetime more than Akane, his own daughter was steelier than him in moments that counted. His voice was steady, but his hands shook as he handed her the sakazuki cup filled with sake to sip three and a half times, while she accepted it and swore to serve the Tento Lords with the poise and constancy of an empress.

Akane returned the cup to her father, her stony gaze meeting his resignation. "Well…" he nodded purposefully. "The sake might not have been the best, but the ritual is now comple—"

Raidou's hand gripped her sword hilt. His presence sang volumes of emotion to and within her, loud and clear. She ignored how she rejected it with wavering determination.

"Oh no it ain't!"

His black-masked Fukoshi appeared all at once, cornering them into the Tento-Kagura with their –maru pets descending into the area. Raidou whipped her head at Akijiro. Were his men so weak that they couldn't sense the very boys they had trained and lost to Dahn's leadership? Had they been foolish enough not to guard the Fukorutsubo channels?

When Dahn appeared, giving the go-signal, she understood. The youth of Dahn's blacks matched the experience of his father's greys, to the point that Kotone wasn't sure whose bugs not to attack with the lack of discrepancy in their skill levels. The man himself pushed forward in his red jinbaori, sauntering towards the Tento-Kagura as though there wasn't mayhem all about him.

He met Nagi at the bottom of the stairs, where they exchanged words, briefly, before his power spiked considerably. Geirin turned to Raidou, worry striking his wrinkled features for a split second. Determination overcame it. "Nagi—"

"Go," bade Raidou. Geirin drew his weapon and raced down the steps. Turning to the black cat at her feet, she said, "Gouto, boss, stay with Akane."

"What are you doing?" Gouto demanded, keeping his paw on her foot. "You're Akane's most powerful detail! You can't leave her – again!"

Nagi fell and cried out in pain, as did many of the grey-masked Fukoshi surrounding Dahn. From above, Raidou felt a fraction the burning attack he'd used on her in Narita's mansion topple Akijiro's men. Geirin was able to withstand it, keeping on his feet; however, he grasped at the center of his chest with considerable pain.

"Don't you fret about him none, Nagi. It wasn't a serious shot," taunted Dahn.

"I thought we could agree…in a process of compromise…but…" Geirin stopped his wheezing and regained his composure. "If it is a battle you wish, then so be it. Your opponents will be Nagi and I. Abandon any theories you may have about holding back."

"Stow it, Geirin, you're not the one I came for," Dahn snorted, his eyes focusing on the Great Summoner arguing with a cat in the Tento-Kagura. "I got bigger fish to fry."

"Dahn wants the pride of saving his sister himself," Raidou said to Gouto, shaking off his paw when she lifted her foot to follow Geirin. "If I can defeat him, his men will fall back. Boss?"

"I've got it covered," Narumi nodded, rolling up his sleeves and tilting his neck side to side as if in preparation. "…I hope."

Gouto growled, but nodded his assent at Kotone. "Don't let it be an _if_."

"Of cour—"

"Raidou, watch out!" Geirin shouted from below. "Dahn is on his way!"

Red colored the shrine's dull browns as Dahn's figure appeared beside Akane before an expectant Raidou, sword clutched firmly in her right hand. "Dahn," the Great Summoner acknowledged. "If I must be surprised, it is only at your permitting the Ritual to come this far."

Dahn shrugged and gave a condescending wink. Akijiro frowned speechlessly; had they battled many times before? They seemed much too comfortable in each other's presence. But then Dahn had always been known to flout rules, whether it came to protocol or social situations. Raidou must have been unfazed simply because of her own experience.

"I overslept a tad, but it looks like I managed to make it just in time!" cackled the wayward son. "The guest of honor oughtta arrive fashionably late to get the crowd goin', don't you think?"

Raidou breathed evenly. "I think you should already know the outcome of this battle."

"Tch. And I thought _I_ was pretty damn arrogant."

Akane only stood still. "Brother…!"

Dahn turned his attention to his sister. "I'm here to rescue you, Akane," he said excitedly. "Just like I promised."

"Y-You…" Akijiro finally found his voice. "And right in the middle of the ritual, no less! You're a disgrace!"

"Well, dad," Dahn sneered, "I figured there's no need to stand on ceremony when the ceremony's as ridiculous as this." Straightening his back, he declared, "The Tento Lords' rule ends today. There ain't no need to listen to their demands anymore."

Akijiro's face turned almost as red as his son's stolen jinbaori. Unable to contain his frustration, he shouted, "Heathen! Traitor!"

"Playing tough guy, huh, Dad? Well I know the truth – the day Akane was chosen as the next Tento bride? You spent it cryin' in your room till your eyes went red," Dahn dismissed Akijiro's wide eyes with a snort. To Akane, he said, "You're probably mad at your brother now, but…" He trailed off, waiting for her to say something. Anything to validate his rescue.

Akane stared at him, eyebrows furrowed. "You…shouldn't get agitated and shake your leg," she began. "Also, you shouldn't scratch your head while you eat..."

"What…?"

"It'll be okay, Dahn," Akane insisted, her eyes growing mistier by the word. "I'm your sister, after all. I'll make a good bride. You should go apologize to the villagers. And try to be nice to father…"

Dahn appeared only more frustrated, but he humored her for now. "Look, Akane…" he scratched his head, as was characteristic of him, thought Kotone. "That thing you made for me…you remember? The, uh, cream thing – what was it?"

"The cream puff?"

"Yeah, that!" Dahn smiled slightly. "You oughtta make some more o' those. I wanted another one."

Akane looked taken aback, but nodded. "I…I remember now. I did tell you that, didn't I? That I wanted to become a patissier…"

Akijiro turned his head away. Kotone hoped it was in shame, for all of them, before steeling herself once more into Raidou.

"Thank you, brother," said Akane, voice trembling, recalling what Kotone had said before the ritual. It was he who'd tried to do more for her than anyone else. The summoner had recognized it even as she foiled all his attempts. "Thank you…for coming…"

"Hey now, don't cry! Any…any brother would've…" Dahn sputtered. It was always like this, at the thought of his sister crying. Until he felt eyes on him, and saw that gumshoe, the cat, and, as she'd said so herself, the one obstacle to his success. Shaking his head, he turned to her. "I'll be takin' Akane with me, Raidou. I got a promise to keep."

Raidou nodded. "As do I."

"And I still owe you for that time at Narita's…" he began, riling himself up. If Raidou's way was control, his had always been lashing emotion.

"No pulling punches," she said.

"No holdin' back," he agreed.

"Brother," Akane said with obvious worry, and Narumi agreed. "Raidou—"

"Too late to back out now!" Dahn announced to their spectators, laughing wildly before rearing his head at the summoner with a serious expression. "Go."

"Out of the way," Raidou ordered Narumi, who pulled Akane behind him, and pushed forward with her sword.

Once Dahn defended himself with his sickle nunchaku, it turned into a dance, stepping forward, then backward, countering, twirling, dipping. They hadn't fought each other frequently enough to know what to expect, but their experience of each other's presence had given them enough to attempt to predict one another's moves.

"Break through his defense!" Gouto shouted. "His abdomen is his weak spot – when he maneuvers his weapon!"

Raidou glanced at her ancestor briefly, having completely forgotten his presence. Never had she faced an enemy quick enough to respond to this distraction. As soon as Raidou turned her attention from him, Dahn took the split second chance and rushed forward into a tackle. Only barely able to hold her ground, Raidou tried to stop him, only to have their battle spill out of the Tento-Kagura and fall down the stairs into the fray.

They landed a few feet from each other. Kotone jumped back to her feet, kicking one of the blacks who'd cornered Nagi before she choked on her cape and was pulled backward. Dahn had tugged at it, hard, and swung her around to sock her in the face. She staggered sideways.

"I'm the one yer facin'," he snarled.

Raidou gritted her teeth, convincing herself that he was merely an opponent. It was what they had agreed upon, after all. With that thought, she grabbed him by the shoulders and headbutted him. While he was dazed, Raidou returned his earlier favor by landing her fist on the side of his head. That would give her a good ten seconds to formulate a new plan.

Or not – Dahn recovered with a grunt after a mere three and retrieved his sickles, holding one and swinging the connecting chain at her. Kotone lowered herself to the ground outside the brick path, crawling under the men and hiding from Dahn amidst the battle, dodging pincers and sharpened katana between the warring Fukoshi and their familiars. She'd lost her sword when they fell down the stairs.

"Losin' your game, Raidou?" Dahn taunted, appearing before her anyway. She dodged when his fist moved close to her, only to realize he was returning her sword. "The way you're playin' this, s'like you want me to win."

"Never," she declared, running past him and up the spindly legs of some –maru bug, propelling herself and slicing her sword backward as she flipped herself over. Dahn deflected it, however, lifting his sickles just in time. When she landed with her back to him, he kicked, slamming her into a grey ordering his –maru to attack Kin.

"Thanks," Dahn's friend said with a salute.

"No proble—"

"Your battle is with me," said Raidou, removing herself from the grey and swinging her sword at Dahn's legs. He jumped back, but she managed to graze the skin of his thighs just enough to produce a stinging pain when he moved.

"Damn," he muttered, watching the blood seep from his open wound before brushing it off with a grin. "Guess you don't like me _that_ much."

Raidou ignored him, moving to jab her sword hilt at his head, but he grabbed her fists just in time to stop her. They wrestled for control, neither looking at the other, concentrating on their own power. Finally, Raidou tired of it and released her grip, moving to the side as he fell forward, and connected her knee to his stomach. Her elbow met the side of his head, and Dahn let himself hit the ground.

"Surrender," she raised her voice over the fighting, pointing her weapon's tip at his nose, reminiscent of a night on the Ginroukaku roof. "I promised Akane that her wishes would be fulfilled. A Great Summoner keeps her promise."

When he didn't reply, Raidou realized he was muttering something under his breath. She had been so preoccupied with her victory that she hadn't felt the heat creeping up on her feet, coursing through her spine, burning through her temples–

"So does a brother. What do you think about my new an' improved Burning Resolve, _Great Summoner_?" asked Dahn, getting to his feet while Raidou's eyelids fluttered from the pain. She dropped to her knees, the searing heat spreading to her eyes until she could see only white. Jack Frost flashed across her mind briefly before the pain reached an unbearable intensity in her body, like a million tiny open wounds scratched beneath the surface of her skin that she couldn't reach. And then it filled her mind that there would at least be one good outcome: brother and sister would both live, though in hiding, perhaps.

That was a lie. There was still the Pojitrawn.

The memory strengthened Raidou's own willpower. She fought against the pain, repeating to herself a mantra that said Dahn's Burning Resolve was merely all the moments that she'd endured the Purification Ritual put together in one instance. Kotone struggled, starting to numb the pain, or it could have been that Dahn was finally letting up on the magic.

It was the latter. Dahn had stopped uttering the spell and was bent over her prone form, one sharp end of his sickle nunchaku poised over her neck. He had never felt so powerful; but then all his past targets were helpless little ants that were easy to squash. "I win, Summoner."

Her life was in his hands, now. The pale skies over them made it so that only he could see her eyes, but there was nothing in them that resembled fear or desperation common to people facing death. Only a foolhardy fierceness, as though she didn't believe for a second that he would kill her. Dahn hated that she knew.

He placed a hand over her heart and felt it pounding almost faster than his own. It should have made him resent her, that deception – as if she could hide how she really felt with that damned empty gaze of hers – but he only knew more, then, that she was no ordinary opponent. Not just a mission or some self-righteous Summoner, not Raidou but _Kotone_, no matter how he'd convinced himself otherwise this morning, and—

Kin removed his mask and hurled it at his leader in an attempt to move him, but missed by mere inches. "Dahn!"

It was too late. Dahn moved to turn his head, tell Kin _not now_, but felt himself being drained of energy. He thought it might be Kotone's closeness, nagging at his eager senses as always, but he'd fallen on top of her without meaning to, and in an odd angle, too, like something existed as an obstacle between his left side and her right. All of a sudden, and he couldn't understand why, Kotone's eyes were filled with an emotion he hoped to read. His eyelids had begun to close, however. The last thing he saw was her mouth, those soft lips that betrayed her femininity along with the soft angle of her face, telling him something that slipped his mind every time he tried to understand.

When he awoke much later, trapped in a prison chamber below the storehouse where he was unable summon even the smallest of bugs, he would realize it was "I'm sorry."

Kotone pulled her blade from his side and rolled him over with some difficulty. She looked over him for a length of time, checking his neck for a pulse, though she had little time to do so. The rest of the blacks had turned to face her, stopping at the sight of their fearless leader's defeat.

"Fall back," Raidou advised, hardening her gaze though she was still slouched from the pain of Dahn's attack. "You are powerless without Dahn's leadership."

"No!" Kin shouted. "Don't—"

As much as strength in numbers or true skill, Raidou's demons had taught her that morale was a deciding factor in battles. As soon as the grey-masked Fukoshi witnessed Dahn's fall, their confidence shot through the roof – and successfully drove back their younger black-masked counterparts.

Those at the Tento-Kagura had witnessed their battle from afar. It was difficult to miss the blur of the red jinbaori and the black cape amidst the rest. Narumi and Gouto followed Akane as she ran towards her brother. "Dahn!" she cried as she went. "Dahn!"

"He's alive," said Kotone, watching Akijiro phase into the battlefield with them and hold back his daughter. "I touched nothing that was vital."

"Why?" asked Akane. She didn't mean to sound ungrateful. "Dahn… He tried to kill you."

"His fate will not be left in my hands," she answered, and hoped Gouto and Narumi wouldn't be able to translate it into _I could not kill the target_. "He is your son, Lord Akijiro."

"My son…" Akijiro rubbed a hand over his balding head, reminding Kotone of Dahn's own scratching habit. Snapping his fingers, he summoned two of his men without their grey masks. "Take him away."

Akane ceased her struggling when the Fukoshi placed him on a makeshift stretcher, along with the rest of the injured Fukoshi, be they black or grey. Akijiro placed a guiding hand on her shoulder, steering her back to the Tento-Kagura. Raidou watched, ever an outsider. The continued existence of the Pojitrawn still hung in the air, but there was something to be said of the scene; a finality Akane sealed when she spoke.

"Goodbye, brother."

* * *

Kotone wasn't even able to bid farewell to Akane herself; Geirin had asked for her help to collect the stragglers, but in her search in the Tento Woods she realized there were none. All of Dahn's black-masked Fukoshi were so loyal to him that they had either gotten knocked out or slain fighting or surrendered along with their leader to ensure his recovery. She wondered if she could ever possess enough charisma to convince her demons to fight alongside her no matter the cause.

Akijiro called for a meeting after _Lord Tento_ received Akane, but Raidou declined to attend, leaving Narumi, Geirin and Nagi to meet with the Chief. If he had anything to say, words of gratitude or regret or anything at all, she hadn't felt like hearing them. After all, the mission was complete. Akane was married and Dahn was captured, an outcome she had expected from the beginning even before they met Akijiro. But success was not as pleasing as it should have been.

Nagi seemed to have shared her sentiments, though Geirin had forced her to attend the meeting anyway – Kotone found her waiting outside the Fukuroku Inn after wandering about the Resort Environs portion of the village, receiving suspicious glares from the farmers and townspeople. She hadn't needed Lilim's powers to know that they wondered why an outsider should be permitted to witness Akane's wedding ceremony and not they who had watched their mistress grow. As always, she overlooked them.

"Raidou," Nagi greeted as soon as she spotted her cap. For the black cat, a bow. "Gouto."

When she reached the Inn, Kotone nodded. "Nagi." Gouto said the same with a more accommodating smile.

"Mr. Narumi is looking for you," she informed them, and then added as an afterthought, "…You did not attend the meeting Lord Akijiro requested."

"It was unnecessary," replied Kotone. "Don't you think? We summoners have no need of his thanks. We were only doing our…duty."

Nagi pursed her lips. "You mean to say that the process of going through with the Marriage Ritual was not a personal choice."

"Was there any other way to indicate one's reluctance?"

Had Gouto been a gecko instead of a cat, he might have scolded her with a _tsk, tsk, tsk_. "Kotone…"

Nagi watched Raidou's facial features the way Dahn had in the Tento Sanctuary, but she betrayed only a distinct stoicism bent towards indifference. Previously, prior to the acquisition of knowledge about the Marriage Ritual, Raidou was reticent but generally pleasant. Nagi noted that it was suddenly no longer this way.

"Raidou…would you like to train with me?" she asked, recalling the sparring session the day before. It bore the weight of nostalgia for a lifetime ago, now, and made her muscles ache, but if it was what Raidou needed...

"That sounds like a plan," said Gouto. "You've got some energy left from the battle, haven't you, Kotone? To take your mind off things."

"Right," Nagi agreed. "And not just for your blood. Well, in theory, yes, but my conjecture is that…"

Kotone replied with a scrutinizing expression before shaking her head. "Thank you, Nagi…but you must be tired. The truth is that I'd rather not stay here longer than we must."

"I see…" Nagi played with the ends of her long hair with some uncertainty. "Then you will be returning to the Capital soon?"

"I hope."

When it didn't seem like Raidou would say more, Nagi sighed. "If that's the case, then…thank you for your help, Raidou," she said, taking a step closer. It was almost as if she was preparing for an embrace, but Nagi only offered her hand.

Kotone accepted it. She seemed apathetic, but her grip was strong. "Goodbye, Nagi."

"Y…es." Dropping the handshake, Nagi turned around and headed back for the Tento Woods.

"Are you tired?" asked Gouto, flicking a tail at Raidou's pant leg. "It's not often she's the one reaching out and you're the one…well, not."

"I feel fine," insisted Kotone, not quite caring what he thought at the moment, but felt some guilt upon recalling her fellow summoner's strange and sudden amicability. "Nagi," she called after the girl, who whirled immediately. "You and Geirin are always welcome to visit us at the Capital."

Nagi's eyes widened as she smiled. "I am sure Master appreciates the company of another Great Summoner every so often…you are also welcome here."

Unbeknownst to Kotone, Nagi's invitation had lifted her spirits somewhat. At least she would always have someone with whom to commiserate the outcome of this unfortunate mission, doomed to failure even in success. When she ventured into Narumi's room at the inn, he was already packing his bags.

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

"Ah, Raidou," he briefly glanced at her before folding his clothes into his suitcase in a fashion that would have upset Kotone's mother. "I just got an interesting call from the Capital. I don't know what to make of it."

"Who was it?" Raidou snatched the rest of the clothes and shooed away Narumi when he tried to 'fold' more of his clothes in. Fold in this sense meant tossing everything in with him. _Men_, her mother would have groaned.

"Er—okay," he shrugged. Tae probably would have gotten mad at him for allowing a woman to do his housework (or something to that effect), but he'd noticed from last year that Raidou took comfort in fixing what was chaotic. She'd done the same after they thought Gouto died, too. "That's just it – I'm not sure who it was. All I heard was a bunch of breathing sounds amidst the crackling. Their connection must be pretty bad. I tried to listen past the creeps I was getting, but all I heard was your name. _Mistress Raidou_. I don't think we can ignore this…"

"I don't intend to," Kotone replied, slapping Narumi's suitcase closed and rising. Louis came to mind, and his words before that blank area of her memory when she wasn't certain what was exchanged between them – he'd mentioned King Abaddon, and the bottomless pit that would engulf the Capital once despair had swallowed its people whole, but she knew there was something more she was forgetting. "I have Dr. Victor's Tesseract Box; the journey will be quick. Shall we?"

"Sure," said Narumi, watching her leave for the hallway. "Hey, wait, aren't you going to bid your fellow summoners goodbye?" When she pretended not to hear him, he quirked an eyebrow at Gouto. "She feeling okay?"

Gouto could only reply with a shrug of his cat shoulders.

* * *

They arrived in the Gouma-Den after a few minutes, which felt unnatural to Narumi though they'd done the same during their previous trip. He was supposed to feel weary after the trip from Tsukigata, and while he did, it was in a way that was even more uncomfortable than just a boring trip stuck in a passenger car with a black cat and a more-taciturn-than-usual assistant. Not to mention that Victor assaulted Raidou with a barrage of questions about how well her blade worked as soon as they arrived, and he'd witnessed Kotone almost shrug off the good doctor. Actually, he was pretty sure she'd shrugged him off and Victor was just dense, which brought Raidou back to her senses. She answered properly and they were finally able to leave.

"I feel like I've used this line before, but home sweet home at the Narumi Detective Agency – nothing's better than this!" Narumi declared as he stepped into their office, leaving his suitcase at the door and tossing his keys at the rack. To his shallow delight, the hook on the rack caught them. "Don't you—whoa!"

The rest of their luggage fell into the office while Gouto snarled, leaping over what might have crushed him as the ground beneath them shook with great intensity and the door shut in Raidou's face. Kotone jumped off the steps before she could trip, but the quake did not cease and she landed unevenly, rolling until she righted herself in a crouching position right over the river. She had almost fallen – clutching the red boxes on her waist, Raidou took a sweeping glance at her surroundings. The other humans were relatively safe, keeping close to the walls of the nearby buildings.

"Not again!" a woman with a death grip on her son cried, grabbing a fish vendor by one of his containers. It caused him to lose his balance, tilting and moving sideways as if in a dance until he bumped into a fruit vendor who kept his wares in a pushcart. The fruit vendor bumped into the handle of his wagon, knocking the wind out of him, and fell flat on his face as the cart rolled on down the road, stopped only by the Konnou-Ya merchandise on display outside as people dove out of its way.

There was a distinct crashing sound before Victor's landlord hobbled out of his store, waving his cane in the air. "What in the–what's happened here?" he demanded, his voice getting screechier by the moment. "Who did this?" Turning on the pile of humans nearer Raidou, he shouted, "You're going to account for—bwahh!"

The earth shook again, and Kotone scrambled to get up before she fell into the water for good. Spurred on by the tremors, the wagon filled with fruits rolled on, eliciting screams from people almost crushed in its wake, until it hit the maroon-colored building close to a bridge. Raidou shook her head, watching the fruits fly in varying directions or stay put, squashed and wasted.

"Raidou!" Narumi called out, swinging open the door to the Agency. "Rai—! There you are."

Raidou took a last look at the mess down the road and decided she could do nothing to help them that didn't involve revealing her demons completely. She followed Narumi inside and asked, "Are you all right, boss? Gouto?"

The two nodded, but Narumi stared glumly around the office. It wasn't in complete tatters, but books had toppled out of their shelves and his treasured gramophone had fallen on its horn. "Wish I could say the same about the office…does this seem like a coincidence to you? Do quakes usually happen one after another like this?"

"I think so, boss," Raidou nodded. "Aftershocks are common post-quake. But it is extremely inconvenient for the Capital's people. Just outside, I witnessed…quite a spectacle."

Noting the thought on his assistant's face, Narumi asked, "Something wrong?"

"No," she replied after a pause, but watermelon-masked Raidou and Geirin occupied her mind. "What I meant to say was, perhaps the misfortune of the people have accumulated into this one earthquake. Does it sound far-fetched?"

"Given our experience with luck lately, no," Gouto mumbled.

"Whatever Gouto said is probably right," Narumi agreed blindly. "So – you never mentioned who'd be calling you Mistress. You didn't try to seduce another yakuza boss, did you?"

"No," Kotone answered without a hint of amusement, setting the gramophone back in its place and returning the books in order. "I think I know who it might be. Although, why he attempted contact using human technology instead of simply waiting for me to return is beyond me."

Well, Narumi couldn't say he didn't try to lighten the mood. Slumping in his seat, he asked, "So the one who called you was a demon?"

"Most certainly. He's only upstairs."

"Wha…?" Narumi's eyes followed Raidou's disappearance up the stairs before the detective sighed and lit himself a cigarette. Gouto glanced between the two before choosing his descendant and following suit.

Keeping occupied tubes on one's vest was taxing on magnetite, so Kotone had kept those whose demons were elsewhere in her room for safekeeping. She trusted them enough not to cause trouble outside while she was away, and so far this was the first time since she arrived in the Capital when any of them tried to speak with her.

Taking five tubes from the hidden compartment behind her closet, Raidou laid them beside each other on the floor. The first three were distant. The latter two felt near, but only the fourth glowed willingly. Without hesitation, Kotone summoned a tall demon with swarthy features, wrapped in dark gray clothing. He appeared overjoyed to see her, but controlled himself and knelt on one knee, shining blond hair rivaling Leanan's falling gracefully past his ears.

"Mistress Raidou," he greeted, the horn on the top of his head pointing at her as he lowered it. He inclined his head a second time for Gouto. "Master Raidou."

"Abihiko?" asked the cat with obvious surprise.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kotone took his hand and motioned for him to stand. "You've been gone for a time."

"It was not my intention to keep you waiting, mistress," said Abihiko. They had met during the Red Cape incident, when he and Nagasunehiko found themselves in Sukuna-Hikona's employ, and Abihiko offered her their services when she defeated them with the aid of a newly recruited Hiruko, whom the brothers came to love dearly. He was the older one, was always obeisant, pleasant, and smiling, while Nagasunehiko insisted he needed to maintain a rough reputation to preserve people's fear of them despite their loyalty to a devil summoner. He disliked Abihiko's title for Raidou, but never said so before her. "My brother's illness was more than—"

"How is Nagasunehiko?" asked Kotone. "Mezuki mentioned that he looked terrible when he met him last."

"He might recover faster if he refrained from meeting with friends," muttered the demon. "He is better, but his fever has not completely gone. Mistress, forgive me for calling on you in such a crude manner. Both his energy and magnetite were dwindling and there was little else I could do but share mine. It weakened me…and I could not go to you on my own."

"I understand," Kotone nodded. "It was intelligent, how you sought me out. How did you come across such an idea?"

"Indeed it was our Uncles' recommendation," answered Abihiko. "They send their regards, mistress, and deepest apologies for keeping you waiting, as well."

"I know our Uncles are busy," she dismissed. "Why did you call on me? Is Nagasunehiko in grave danger? How did it come to this?"

Abihiko's eyes were downcast when he spoke. "Mistress, you know Nagasunehiko takes every opportunity to see your world… He grew impatient during your training and left to see the Capital again, hoped to ride something you call a 'cab.' Without bothering anyone, of course. I could not change his mind, and saw one day that he'd gone. I followed him…we arrived by our own magnetite." He looked up sharply, then, as though expecting her to scold him, then dropped his head. "Forgive me. I did not mean to undermine your authority!"

Kotone gave only a shake of her head. It was expected of Nagasunehiko. She was surprised he hadn't sought to take Gozuki along with him. It was why she'd instructed Mezuki and Abihiko to watch over their closest friends, who were sure to cause trouble without guidance. "And so? What happened?"

With utmost relief, Abihiko replied, "We…sat in an empty cab. And to our surprise, mistress – there you were!"

"That can't be," said Gouto. "She was at Kuzunoha Village."

"We knew this truth, and yet there she was – or so we thought. It was a Jack Frost, mistress, wearing this uniform of yours."

"That is peculiar," Kotone finally agreed.

"That is the least of it," said Abihiko. "He was able to summon other Jacks! He called himself the future Raidou Kuzunoha the 15th... Ah – forgive me. He retained the tick of the Jacks, and Hiruko. He is Rai_ho_."

Gouto snorted. "That's ridiculous."

"Perhaps, but when we attempted to tell him otherwise – intimidate him, even – he attacked us! Even alone he was not weak; he seemed almost as powerful as our own Jack Frost, and he is without a summoner. It humiliates me to admit…that is the reason why the common cold remains with Nagasunehiko."

"Can you take me to this _Raiho_?"

"I do not know where he resides in the Dark Realm, or in both our worlds, mistress," said Abihiko, eyes downcast in shame. He held out for her his hands, containing a strip of black cloth of the same make as her uniform. "But my brother managed to take this snippet of his cape in battle."

"This should be enough," said Gouto. "Bring out Leanan."

As soon as the thought entered Kotone's mind and she reached for her tube, the blonde beauty sprung from the green glow of her summoner's magnetite. "Gouto, I'd like to make clear that I am no bloodhound," she said, so silkily that those unaccustomed to her presence would have replied, _no, of course not, never_. Raidou gave only a hint of a sardonic smile, however. It shocked the demoness into a double take, during which it disappeared and she nodded coolly at another golden-haired devil in silky gray. "Abihiko."

"My lady," he greeted, floating over to Leanan and giving her right knuckles a light kiss.

"I've heard your excuses," said Leanan, withdrawing her hand. "Kotone, you forgave him _too_ easily."

Gouto's mouth curled. "Don't tell me…"

"Yes," Kotone replied to Gouto. "Abihiko's lack of the usual deference to Leanan frustrates her in many ways. And attracts her, simultaneously."

Abihiko's eyes lit up. He came close to the woman, and when he spoke his mouth hovered precariously over her ear. "Does it, mistress?"

Leanan concealed an excited shudder and shot Kotone's tubes a glare that could dry up an ocean. "_Lilim_."

"Undoubtedly," answered their summoner, looking out the window to avoid the sight. "But this isn't the time for that discussion. Leanan, I need you to track down a demon."

Lilim reached for the cloth and appeared confused. "This is yours, dear. Is Jack Frost missing?"

Gouto rolled his eyes. Only women could choose what to hear when eavesdropping.

"Not ours," Abihiko replied. "Nagasunehiko and I found one dressed as Mistress Raidou."

"Oh," Leanan murmured. She and his brother were on highly unfriendly terms. He had called her a brother-thief, and she called him secretly-happy-about-answering-to-a-summoner. That had certainly set off Nagasunehiko. "Follow me, then."

* * *

They arrived at a Training Hall southwest of the Capital by way of the Tarrasque, who commented that he was only too happy to oblige a 'nice couple' that would surely propagate the rest of their kind. At this Gouto groaned. Abihiko gave a small, pleased smile and took no notice of Leanan's affected huff. Kotone nodded, smiled perfunctorily, then turned and strolled forward.

Leanan followed her summoner and placed a pretty hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right, Kotone? You seem a little edgy."

"You needn't worry about me, Leanan," Raidou replied. Abihiko reached out futilely when Leanan was returned to her tube.

"What is the matter, mistress?" he asked, staring slack-jawed at her. She only ever did that to Lilim as a joke, or when it was most urgent. This seemed almost rude. What had passed in the last year that changed the most mannered adolescent he'd ever met? "If anything troubles you…"

"Heads up," Kotone interrupted, looking straight ahead. A white blob was wearing her cousin's uniform, though it seemed tailored to fit him as well. The only difference was that he had no tube vest.

"Hero worship at its finest," Gouto remarked with a snort.

"But he professes not to know our Jack Frost," said Abihiko.

Kotone advanced menacingly, but he only grinned at the sight of her. "Woo-hoo-ho! Hi, Raidou! It's been ho-seven years! Or three…or four! It depends, hee…"

"…Forgive me, but we've never met," said Raidou, lifting an eyebrow. "You might remember my friend" –she motioned to Abihiko, who curled a lip at the Frost– "whose brother you attacked unnecessarily."

While she spoke, Raiho – she refused to acknowledge him that way, but she had no other name for such an odd Jack Frost – stared at her curiously, coming closer until he stood at her feet. Fortunately, he didn't climb her back. Only their Jack Frost could do such a thing. "Hee-ho! You're not Raidou!" he said with a laugh. Then, circling her and sniffing, he corrected himself. "Well, may-hee a little. You're just like me, ho! Hee-ven less! And if the fans are gonna auth-hee-nticate the next Raidou from the two of us, it's gotta be me, ho!"

"What are you talking about?" Kotone stared at him, barely hiding her disbelief. Even Decarabia had made more sense than this little devil. "If it's a battle you want, you will receive it."

"No-ho," Raiho said, wagging his finger sagely. "I bel-hee-ve in giving competition a chance, ho! Besides, whoever made you probably would just make you ho-win, anyway. The fans won't be able to-ho vote if we go head-to-head! We'll just have to strive to become the next real Raidou individually, hee!"

It gnawed at Kotone that she should resist the urge to scratch the side of her head in confusion. Anyone else watching the exchange would have already.

"An-hee-way, I should get going. Good luck, hee!" said Raiho, and then finally found his way to Kotone's back. It was only a matter of time. "By the way," he whispered, "Raidou is a boy! So you should work on that, hee. You might have a be-hee-tter chance that way."

"What makes you—" Before Kotone could finish her retort, Raiho jumped off with a spin and disappeared.

"That was bizarre," Gouto muttered. "You were right, Abihiko."

"It is only a pity he did not engage us in battle. We would have fared much better with you, Mistress Raidou," said the demon. "Shall Leanan track him down?"

Kotone shook her head. That little Jack Frost wasn't worth the trouble battling, though she wondered how he learned to summon other Jacks, as Abihiko professed. What she was truly curious about was why 'Raiho' refused to recognize her as the real Raidou – going so far as to say that the real one was male. He could have known her father when _he_ was a schoolboy, but she was certain the uniform style was at least a little different from all those decades ago. Or did the Jack Frost see that she doubted the precepts of the Kuzunoha clan lately? There was nothing she could do but ask her father's King Frost if any of his children had gone astray the next time she saw him in the village.

Taking a bottle from her belt pocket, Raidou handed Abihiko the Medicine. "You may return to caring for Nagasunehiko, but you know now to come to me sooner before any sickness of his or yours becomes too serious. If he is not healed, we will hunt that Frost down again."

"Thank you, mistress," Abihiko bowed, gratefully accepting it, but he looked uncharacteristically uneasy.

He and Dominion got along rather well, and he'd worn the same expression when he forcefully came out of his tube to report that Pyro Jack had accidentally set fire to a boat in Harumi-Cho in his excitement a year ago. "What's the matter?"

"There…is more, mistress."

Kotone exchanged glances with Gouto, who said, "Go on."

"Do you remember what I told you about my brother? That for all his acts he possesses the gift of – at the very least – vague foresight? Such as when our home was about to be overrun?"

"Yes, I remember he predicted the death of Gouto and our friend, though he didn't understand his own premonition at the time."

Abihiko nodded. "Of late, mistress, thoughts of the Capital have distressed him. It is partly why he wished to see it in its splendor."

Gouto frowned. "Do you mean to see its splendor in its last moments? Because that's what it sounds like. And I hate to say it, but it would be fitting – with everything that's happened."

"I cannot say," said Abihiko. "But he never foresees things that are not ominous. My brother is loath to admit it, but he worries, mistress. About you, Gouto, and your friends at the Capital."

That pulled at Kotone's heartstrings more than she expected. She and Nagasunehiko had never been on more than cordial terms, and that may have been seeing too much into it. "Thank Nagasunehiko for his unexpressed concern in my stead," she said. "But what did he foresee for the Capital? What was this threat?"

Abihiko now looked extremely uncomfortable, and regretful about his decision to speak. "My brother…was surely delirious at the time. He told me at the height of his fever, you see—"

"I've heard of seers in worse conditions with more accurate predictions. What did he say? What was the threat?" the Great Summoner insisted.

"You," Abihiko blurted out. "…It was you, mistress. The threat to the Capital."

Kotone's temples throbbed. Nagasunehiko was hardly ever wrong. And if his interpretations were mistaken, his visions still always meant something. But Abihiko was right. He must have been delirious. She only ever wanted to protect the Capital. Below her, Gouto looked very thoughtful, but shook his head and appeared to pass it off as nothing. She didn't notice his tail actually lowering in apprehension at the thought.

It gave Kotone enough resolve. "Ridiculous," said Raidou, and sent Abihiko back to his tube.

* * *

The door clicked shut. Raidou entered the Agency, but it was Gouto's paws Narumi heard tapping on the ground as she dropped her key on the rack and propped her cape on the railing near the door.

"Welcome back, Raidou," he greeted, looking up from the paper. "What happened with the impostor?"

"It was a simple misunderstanding, boss," she answered, approaching the shelf next to him. "Are there any pending case files?"

"Nothing serious," said Narumi, taking her straight-to-business attitude in stride. Not a single quip about how lazy he was, or how he should fund more of her escapades. "Just a few retrieval requests. Why?"

"I have nothing to do, boss."

"Why not rest?" he suggested. "Maybe you forgot since our trip took less than a minute, but we did just get back from Tsukigata today."

Raidou gave a lopsided smile. Narumi cringed at the affectedness of it when she wasn't looking anymore. She'd pulled out his folders and begun to scour them. "I don't wish to be idle when something can be done."

"Not necessarily idle, but—you know—"

Raidou paused in her perusal of the case files. "Yes, boss?"

Narumi sighed. "Look, Raidou—"

"This looks interesting," said Raidou, rising from her crouched position. "Dr. Victor's landlord is looking for a Ouija Board."

Gouto frowned. "That's dangerous."

"What was that, Gouto?" asked Narumi, then glanced almost hopefully at Kotone.

Shutting the folder and returning the case files, Raidou said offhandedly, "He said it was dangerous, boss. I'll be going. I should find someone in Shin Sekai willing to pawn me one."

Gouto hopped onto Narumi's desk before promptly jumping off again, though Kotone didn't seem to notice as she took her key and drew her cape over herself once more. Shaking his head, Narumi picked up the piece of paper lying on his desk and read with a wave of disappointment, _She translated me_.

Kotone didn't return until later that evening, hours past dinner. Narumi's office was wracked by earthquakes that grew ever more frequent, so that almost every other hour was spent fixing the damage caused by the tremors. He'd stopped trying once it was dinner time, after Raidou managed to slip away from all his calls.

He called Satake, but the yakuza boss was busy and his consigliere was apologetic as he told him Raidou had just disappeared from their establishment. Dr. Tsukumo, who'd gotten a socket to which he could connect a telephone in the junkyard he lived in some time when Raidou was gone, said the detective's assistant had borrowed some materials from him before promptly running off. And then answering the Shin Sekai phone was a mellifluous male voice that unnerved him. It said he'd answered the phone in the bartender's brief absence – and that he'd missed Kotone, to his misfortune. Narumi thought it was odd that the stranger knew her real name, but the idea was slippery for some reason and he forgot all about it soon enough.

When she finally returned, Tae had already come and gone with dinner. He was so accustomed to only the earthquakes breaking the silence that when the door opened, Narumi nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" he asked, standing and composing himself, smoothing his vest and pulling down his sleeves. "I don't want to sound like your father, but…I couldn't get ahold of you at all, Raidou. At least let me know you haven't been swallowed up by the earthquake every two hours or so, huh?"

"I'm sorry, boss. Work was—invigorating." Raidou inclined her head briefly as she reached into her cape and stretched out her hand. "Although, boss," she said, placing the object in his curious hand, "you know an earthquake could never swallow me up."

"Not the way work does," Gouto remarked. "That was one busy afternoon. I don't think we've been able to do this since before the Red Cape Incident."

"I did," recalled Kotone. "During the reparation efforts afterward. The boss and Miss Asakura were there. In hindsight, perhaps that is when they were able to develop their relationship beyond the platonic."

"I know it sounds farfetched, but I _do_ hear when you talk about me, my devil-summoning pals," Narumi said with a half-snort, partly at their conversation in which he was left out, again, and partly at the huge wad of cash Kotone had just dropped into his lap like it was a bunch of used cigarettes. "But you know, Kotone, you don't have to work so hard. I mean, this is great, but…"

"You're right, boss. I should rest. Have a good evening," said Kotone, bowing for the first time in a while with another affected smile he found eerie, and went up to her room.

Narumi watched her depart to the stairs, again, in disbelief. "Only Raidou can be overly polite and rude at the same time," he muttered, glancing at Gouto, who'd jumped up to his desk, detective notebook ready. It was the manner in which they could converse. Why they hadn't thought of it before Narumi could only chalk up to their general distrust of each other as guardians of a single detective assistant and/or summoner, but he no longer thought of the cat as anything but a friend and ally.

Kotone lifted her feet quietly up the stairs, refraining from trudging. It was a task not to, though she didn't allow even Gouto to see that in the way she carried herself. She remembered her training too much to bear that, and the worry of her great ancestor was the last thing she wished on her plate, as Satake would say. Gouto had passed on the burden of enduring to his son and he to his son or grandson, and she wouldn't share it with him again if she could help it.

Her mind was in complete disarray, just as Lilim had insisted days ago. Kotone could feel the demoness' attempts to break out of her tube – she was almost successful, once – but she didn't want to hear anything that might prove that Lilim had known her mind more than she did. That was unheard of for a Raidou Kuzunoha, least of all her, Gouto's greatest descendant yet.

Raidou couldn't say whose fault it was. Akane's, for making her existence known to the Agency at all. Dahn, for being the main cause of Akane's selfless worries and worming his way into Kotone's peaceful, orderly life. The Mushibito, for giving him the luck locusts. Akijiro, whose decision made Dahn decide to ask for the thieving insects. The Tento Lords, for requiring such a sacrifice in exchange for the Tsukigata livelihood. The Yatagarasu, for commissioning the 8th Fukoshi clan to begin with—

Kotone whipped her head around sharply, like a child afraid of getting caught taking snacks from the larder. Her hand lay on the doorknob of her room, but she pulled it back and decided to head for the rooftop instead. She didn't ever think the Yatagarasu might hear the gist of her thoughts. But if a lesser demon like Lilim wielded such a power, why couldn't the divine crow?

Kotone wondered if she was in danger now, if she would suffer the Gouto-douji like Raidou Kuzunoha for thinking such blasphemy. But no lightning split the sky, giving way to a three-legged crow to land fiercely before her, and Kotone felt resentment at the idea of such a terrible fear gripping her. There was a fear of failure, and there was fear itself. The latter was unforgivable and she had caught the stink of it from her own gut.

But then even the first Raidou Kuzunoha had committed a grave mistake, whatever it was. And while there was room for error, the 14th knew he wouldn't want her to; at all, if possible. So Kotone put all these things out of her mind and came closer to the edge of the Ginroukaku rooftops, where a handsome man in a red jinbaori once smirked at her.

Almost to her dismay, no sudden swing of a sickle, not even a breeze, sent her cape flying. The world seemed still, devoid of life. Kotone saw the twinkling of the stars above and saw the same stars she noticed the night they set out for Tsukigata village. She could see the monkey wrench, and in her eyes it took the form of a fox with its paws bound by a crow. The sounds and vibrant colors of the Capital were cold and lifeless when faced with the thought of the suffering of a friend far away. The suffering of two friends. Narumi said that the roof would clear her mind, but the only clear thing was that Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th was exceedingly unhappy.

* * *

Kotone opened her eyes and turned her head to the side. Five o' clock in the morning. She pulled her blanket up to her nose and exhaled. It was chilly and the sky outside was still dark, though she'd left the light on the night before. Kotone had not been afraid of the dark since her father taught her to summon demons when she felt that she was in danger, but the silhouette of a bird sitting quietly in her room from the corner of her eye had bothered her and she couldn't sleep. She had called out to it, asked it to leave if it was a demon, but she was only talking to her imagination.

She wasn't sure why, but she felt like bathing in the morning today. Sitting up, she set out of her room with a towel and a clean uniform and knocked on the bathroom door. When nobody answered, Kotone entered. Her hair dried easily because of its length. The strands were naturally thin, too, which both her mother and Gouto said were Kuzunoha traits. Her black, sometimes gray eyes she inherited from her mother, for her father's and his before him possessed almost honey brown eyes.

Kotone watched herself dry her skin in the bathroom mirror. She was in no way gaunt. Lilim was right when she said her body was toned well because of training. Of course, no human besides Satake and his men could know of her build because she only wore her uniform outside the village, but when Kotone reached for her eyes with a pruny, pale finger she saw that the skin under it had darkened, almost like she was nine again and the training her masters had thrown at her, still new and unknown, was utterly exhausting.

Shaking her head, Kotone put on her uniform and stepped out of the bathroom. Light already filtered into the hallway. She wanted nothing complicated for breakfast – neither could she cook anything like it – so she would have toast and butter, probably. Narumi would want some, to be certain, though Gouto preferred a more traditional meal.

A wonderful aroma wafted into the air surrounding Kotone as she opened the door to the stairs. It smelled almost like her house at the Kuzunoha village, when her mother finally awoke and made them breakfast, but with coffee, too. Her mother preferred tea.

"Good morning, Kotone," said Gouto, sitting on Narumi's desk.

An entire meal filled the dining table, with proper place mats and plates and utensils for two humans and a cat. Rice, soup, and side dishes that were too familiar to her were served side-by-side at the center.

"Oh, morning, Raidou!" said Narumi, stepping out of the kitchen carrying a tray filled with two cups of coffee and glasses filled with water. A plain, salmon pink apron was strapped to his body, it seemed, for Kotone could never imagine her boss wearing anything like it.

"Pink aprons – accessories of the modern man?" she couldn't help but ask. Her face brightened, a sensation Kotone felt she hadn't experienced in a while. "This looks tasty, boss. What's the occasion?"

At this, Narumi beamed genuinely. "Tae left it here last night," he said, pretending to tip an invisible hat. "And there isn't. I learned a thing or two from our sessions with Tae and Akane, so I thought…oh." The detective inwardly groaned. Kotone's smile wavered when he doffed his hat and fell completely at the mention of Akane. "Anyway, Gouto lent a hand, too. He wrote down your mom's best recipe and we tried it. Looks like we're naturals."

"I see," said Kotone, trying and failing to bring back her smile. Dahn had 'tipped' a hat at her when they first bumped into each other, before his existence possessed any meaning. Akane was a great chef. Taking a seat, she said, "Thank you, boss. Gouto."

Kotone reached for the side dishes and quietly ate. She wanted to say something to Gouto and Narumi, but couldn't find any subject on her mind besides the Tsukigatas…and the weather. It's very cloudy outside, she might say. And then…? She might as well keep quiet. Halfway through her first helping, Kotone looked up and saw that her companions were watching her. Intently.

"Boss? Gouto?" She motioned to the food. "Won't you eat?"

Narumi took a sip of his coffee and shook his head. "Oh, no. We already ate when we were taste-testing."

"Right," said Gouto, licking at his own cup.

Kotone nodded, briefly wondering why Narumi set plates for the pair of them at all, but the silence continued until she finished her second helping, avoiding their gazes. Then she set aside her utensils and drank water. "Thank you, Gouto. Boss. It tasted almost like mother's. You should have some."

Narumi frowned. "You're not going to eat more? You usually have this voracious appetite."

"Right," said Gouto, nudging the rice closer to her. "Have at least two more helpings."

Kotone stared at them curiously. "Did mother call you? She isn't supposed to—"

"No, no," Narumi laughed. "It's just—"

A brief earthquake interrupted his explanation. The next minute was spent protecting the plates from falling off the table, Gouto yelping and Narumi mumbling, "No–no–no—" And then the phone rang.

Kotone sprang to answer it. "Narumi Detective Agency. How might we be of assistance?"

"Kotone!" Tae shouted from the other end. "Listen, the Capital—it's in the most gigantic tub of trouble I've ever seen! Well, maybe not as big as that Oumagatsu contraption, but this is _huge_!"

"Miss Asakura," Kotone replied, "Let's meet at once. Where are—"

"Keep Narumi safe, okay? Because," said Tae, as if she hadn't reiterated it enough, "the Capital's in trouble!"

Kotone set the phone down with a peculiar expression before turning to her companions. "It was Miss Asakura. She bade me protect you, boss – because she alleges that the Capital is in trouble."

Narumi blinked, and then started as though Nue had attacked him with a thorough Shock Wave. "That must mean she's right in the middle of it. Where did she say she was?"

Raidou paused. "She put down the phone before she could say."

Narumi was already putting on his coat by the door. "Someone at the soda joint should know."

"What about this food?" asked Gouto.

"Boss, Gouto is asking what we'll do with the food."

Narumi looked at Kotone worriedly before glancing at Gouto. "We'll clean it up when we're sure Tae's okay." And then he pushed open the door.

The trio arrived at Ginza-Cho by streetcar for free. For some reason, Kotone had a streetcar pass in her belt pocket, which Gouto slipped to Narumi past the attendant after she used it. By this time the sky had grown considerably dim, the sunlight from that morning completely shunned out by gathering clouds. But the atmosphere around the Shin Sekai alley remained the same; shadowed by its surrounding buildings, Kotone didn't notice the figure behind her when she dropped down to fold her falling pant leg. She mustn't have ironed it well the night before.

Narumi and Gouto, focused on the scent of alcohol inside the soda joint, entered the establishment without a backward glance.

Pinching at the folds with her fingers, Raidou rose and came face-to-chest with a grey coat. Stepping back, she nodded. "Louis." It was almost entertaining, watching for anything that might indicate his paying her any actual attention. Or simply distracting. "Do you come with another omen?"

He set down his bag to adjust his tie. With his usual half-smile, he asked, "There is beauty in absolute sorrow, don't you think?" Louis peered so closely into her eyes that she felt almost violated. Kotone's trained senses wailed at her to shove him away, to step back, but they fell to whispers when her body only caused her breath to hitch.

"Beauty is intrinsic to the world," was her answer. Even Raidou thought it fell short. "I suppose sorrow might be part of it."

"You are beautiful tonight, Kotone."

Kotone blinked. That certainly removed all her doubts about his attention. "My companions are waiting for me inside. Please excuse me." It took willpower – for some reason she didn't have the presence of mind to question why – but she made it past him. At least, until he touched her shoulder. Her arm buzzed and whirled at him immediately. "Louis," she said, almost apprehensively.

He smiled at her. "Kotone?"

"You shouldn't…" Kotone felt her mind slipping away, until she averted her eyes and clutched it tightly, though her control was the equivalent of grasping at straws. She stared at his perfect nose instead. "You shouldn't do that."

Louis made no apology, of course. Only the reply, "You shouldn't burn bridges before they're built."

"I have no intentions of severing our—ties of acquaintanceship."

The blond smirked, and somehow Kotone knew she'd gotten it wrong. What in the world had he meant, then?

"Raidou?" The colorful door to the soda joint opened slightly to fit half of Narumi. Gouto managed to slink through the tiny space. "What were you doing out there?"

"I was only…" Kotone turned her head back. Louis was gone. "Only waiting to see if Miss Asakura might come by."

"Not gonna happen," said the detective, fixing his hat so she wouldn't notice him watch her for ticks. He realized he knew her well enough now to see past her unaffected façade. It was how he knew she was lying. "She's at Ishigami-Cho."

Kotone nodded and followed Narumi and Gouto to the station silently, unable to refrain from berating herself. In that brief conversation with Louis, the events in Tsukigata Village slipped her mind. She had almost completely forgotten Akane and her father. Only Dahn remained at the forefront, the memory of his smile pulling her out of the spell. His was always ear-to-ear, as though he had nothing to hide. Dahn was of the rare kind who never held back his laughter.

A tower scarred with blue veins had sprouted in the middle of Ishigami-Cho. Judging by the reactions of those gathering nearby, someone had managed to pass it off as a stage prop. That or a giant catfish existed beneath the tower but was no longer pinned down by it, thereby causing the earthquakes. Kotone wondered how anyone could believe it. She wasn't even certain how Oumagatsu had been explained to the public. All she knew now was that the Capital was more gullible than she imagined.

It benefitted summoners that the general populace remained unaware of things, all the well to keep their sanity amidst the waves of misfortune eating away at the Capital; but it was disappointing that for all their superstition, they could never think beyond the boundaries their own minds placed over them. Not as disappointing as foolish, she supposed. After all, the occurrence of angels, demons and spirits were only as natural to her as humans.

Tae was the remarkable exception. Unlike Narumi, she had no past to secure her belief in what others called the supernatural; only her will to discover the truth, no matter how frightening. Kotone wondered how she'd react to the sight of demons, too. She wondered how they all would.

Narumi, Gouto and Tae were talking about a Lord Ishigami, research about whom Tae insisted would prove beneficial, but Kotone thought entering and seeing what the matter was would solve the problem more quickly. She strayed from their group and saw not far from them a stone statue of a fox inside a building near a shop, like a small version of an Inari statue.

Talkative fragments of the Ukanomitama spirit, the Inari statues she knew spoke their minds without hesitation. Like Dahn. Those at Shinoda especially felt more like old friends than anything. She appreciated their honesty, which was inconsistent with the enigmatic instruction of the Herald and the Kuzunoha council.

Kotone had made to approach the shrine when a small hand took hold of her wrist. A little girl no taller than her shoulders stared up at her. The child's eyes were honey brown, and instead of round pupils hers were vertical slits that strengthened Kotone's sense of her special aura.

"Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th," said the summoner. "Is there something you need?"

The girl smiled. "I'm lucky to have met you here in Ishigami-Cho, protector of the Capital. Now…" She pulled at Kotone's wrist so that she would come closer. "I'm only telling you this because it's you, Raidou, but the tower protruding from the earth is Lord Ishigami. You can go inside him if you want."

"I heard youuuu, I heard youuuu! I know your seeecreeet!"

Tae darted past Narumi and Gouto to reach Raidou and the girl. To the former, she said, still nearly bouncing in excitement, "You're a real smoothie! This little dame wouldn't say boo to me when I tried to interview her. So the tower itself is Lord Ishigami? I never thought of that!"

Narumi glanced down at Gouto. "How did she hear that while…?"

"Women," mumbled the cat. Narumi had a feeling he understood.

Tae ignored them dutifully and asked the fox-eyed girl, "Hey sweet-cheeks, think you could tell me more of that story?"

In turn, the child only stared at her. She said to Raidou, touching her palm, "I'll be waiting for you inside Lord Ishigami."

To say she walked past Tae would have been misleading. From all angles, the reporter's especially, the girl had phased through her. And disappeared.

"Huh?" Tae whispered at first. The more she spoke, however, the greater she rose in volume. "What? _What_? Wait—she—that girl!"

"I forgot you were afraid of ghosts, Miss Asakura," Raidou thought out loud. She almost smiled at the memory.

"Th-That was…a ghost? A – A ghost!"

"No, no, that was a spirit," Raidou corrected herself, though it appeared futile. Tae's knees were already buckling.

"Tae?" Narumi frowned, coming closer. "Are you gonna—"

"I—I'm all right," she insisted, holding out an arm to stay balanced on her heels. "If I got all weak-kneed every time I saw a ghost, I'd never be able to do my job!"

"Hey, attagirl! You held on!" laughed the detective, proudly squeezing her shoulder. "See that, Raidou? Tae saw a ghost and didn't hit the dirt!"

Raidou nodded in agreement. "You've come a long way, Miss Asa—"

The ground shook. Narumi cursed and caught Tae in his arms, then swore again when he realized she was dead weight. When the tremors paused, he looked regretfully at Raidou. "Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later… Hey, where are you going?"

Raidou had sidestepped them during the quake and attempted to move forward. She only managed a step, but it was farther than she expected, and better than rolling around like she had the afternoon before. "I'll enter the tower and fix it, boss."

"Wait up," said Narumi, taking Tae's legs up with his left arm. "I'll drop her off at her place and join you."

Raidou shook her head. "I'll be back before lunch. Gouto, stay with the boss. We don't know what's inside there."

The cat frowned. "When has that ever stopped me?"

The two Raidou stared at each other until Kotone turned her eyes back to Ishigami. Arguing was a waste of time. "If that is your wish."

The tower appeared to operate on an aura so powerful that it took the form of blue particles that shot straight up from the ground. As easy as it seemed to reach the top, it was not. Kotone summoned Dominion as soon as they entered, asked him to fly them up to see the extent of this Lord Ishigami, but there was an unseen barrier stopping them from merely taking such a path. Only lights, emitted by circular platforms scattered around the level, were the mode of transportation available in the tunnel.

"Thank you for coming, Raidou."

Kotone ceased her surveying of the area, put-out by her inability to reach the top and solve the problem immediately, and lowered her eyes to the girl.

"We're inside Lord Ishigami's body right now. It's the tunnel below Ishigami. There's so much I want to tell you, but…I need you to come to the top of the ninth floor. I'll be waiting there," she said.

"Wait." Kotone reached for her wrist this time. "Tell me now. This roundabout manner will only cause more accidents."

The girl looked up at her as if in confusion, but tempered her expression into one imitating Raidou's blank one. "It is only safe on the ninth floor. Please, meet me there."

Kotone reluctantly released her. Gouto sighed. "Not that I don't agree with you, Kotone, but we're going to have to find a way up there if we want to be briefed on the situation."

"Very well."

Lord Ishigami was hardly the Tento Sanctuary. Some beams of light brought them back down, some beams of light led only to platforms where she was ambushed by demons foolish enough to take her on, and few truly led to the higher levels. The formulaic manner of the tower only darkened Kotone's mood. The mission was to find a way to stop the earthquakes, if Tae was correct, and this tower was truly the cause. Now she understood Gouto's irritation towards Nagi when she took them to the Great Summoner's Hall instead of simply handing over the Tento Talisman. That little girl, whom she was certain was an Inari, was inadvertently causing more quakes.

Pyro Jack had just finished fighting off a clowder of Nekomata who'd attacked her by 'hee-ngeniously' setting their hair on fire when she felt it. The better term, perhaps, was smelled it – the rot was thicker now, more permanent. Kotone inhaled by mistake and thought she could taste it on her tongue, feel the slick attach to her neck and slink past the folds of her collar.

"So cooold… I'm…so coooold…"

"Not again," Gouto echoed her thoughts. Pyro Jack lost his earlier smug and perched close to her shoulder. "Didn't we get him before, Ko-ho-ne?"

The giggle. "Warm me up! Warm me with your _whip of love_!"

Kotone still remembered motion-by-motion what happened in their last battle. "He's come to collect."

He appeared right before her, hanging upside down from his grey cloud, his clothes grimier than before. The stench of his breath would have knocked her out if she hadn't caught the odor previously and built a weak immunity to it. Kotone jumped backward right as he reached out to touch her. "I knew we'd meet again!" cried Binbou-gami, in that slow, bawdy whine of his. "I haven't forgotten your whip of love. Please…beat me again!"

Kotone kicked her foot backward. "Gouto, out of the way. His power has strengthened."

"If only its stench didn't, either," remarked the cat, clearly dismayed, but scampered off the platform.

With a swipe of his arm, Binbou-gami slammed Kotone into the ground. Her back would ache the next morning if she didn't have a bath tonight. "Oh, stop teasing me! Can't you see destiny has drawn us together once more? You promised, after all!"

"I did," Kotone affirmed, getting up and drawing her blade. "Pyro Jack, return to your tube."

Binbou-gami clasped his hands together and swung sideways, eyes closed as if swooning. "Oh, I'm so glad! I like it better when it's just you and me… I must say, though, my skin's a bit thicker this time. You'd better whip me hard!"

Kotone nodded and bounded forward. As before, the Fiend disappeared only to hurl himself at her from behind. Anticipating it, the summoner whirled as she jumped right over Binbou-gami's face. Kotone landed heels into the back of his chin with enough force to break his neck, but as she returned to solid ground he only stretched it out and shuddered, loudly.

"O-Oh," he moaned. "It feels…too _good_! Am I being greedy, hogging your overwhelming love for myself?"

Circling him, Kotone slashed her sword at his back. He giggled and turned in her direction, swinging with his arms stretched to her. It grew increasingly cringe-worthy to hurt him; his cries of pleasure were extremely distracting and irritating. She would finish it quickly if she could.

If…? It was a hypothetical word Kotone found she hated. The summoner broke into a sprint around Binbou-gami, spiraling toward him. The Fiend rotated on his cloud, holding his head.

"Oh, my!" he gasped. "There is so…many of you—perhaps to give me a better—"

Close enough to reach for him by hand, Kotone grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him close. He had only begun to giggle when she thrust her sword into his throat. Binbou-gami spluttered blood, clutching at his throat.

"I punished you, as promised. Now, you will leave alone the Raidou Kuzunoha line. Yes?"

The Fiend said nothing, hacking still, eyes wide. Kotone pulled out her blade for a better view. As soon as she drew her eyes from him to wipe her blade, Binbou-gami reached out for her sides.

"Let me..." he coughed out, voice raspy, and yet his breath smelled even worse, rot mixed with the corroded iron, "return the favor…"

Raidou called out to Aeros and Dominion to volley her back, but for some reason it was as though they weren't there, or their tubes were nowhere near her. Kotone's only thought as she hurtled off the platform was that next time, she would stab Binbou-gami in the head. And if that didn't kill him…

It was not an evil darkness Kotone found herself trapped in when she fell. There was no 'landing'. It was the electric blue of Ishigami, first, and with no warning only the black, next. No camera flashes, no eerily-masked figures, not even demons. She could not summon her friends or call out to Gouto. She recalled now that her head had been attacked by pins and needles before this happened, almost numb, but the feeling was now lost.

Fear would have been a viable emotion at that point, but Kotone had learned long ago that it was a futile one. In the face of insects she had not managed to control herself, perhaps, but she had faced it when they battled Tentomaru, or when she rolled around before the Tento-Kagura with Dahn, avoiding their pincers as the old grey fought against the young black.

So Kotone chose peace. Although she could see nothing – not even her own hands – she could feel them, and that nothing attacked her here was…nice. It was good to, as Narumi said many times before, take a breather. He was right. To rest from the world and all its folly. But Raidou knew at once that the peace couldn't last. There was a battle outside, earthquakes shaking her Capital. Gouto was bound to be terribly worried. The last time this happened with Binbou-gami, he had been with the boss. He was alone now.

With some guilt, Kotone rose from her position, which had been prone, she realized. It was difficult to untangle her limbs that suddenly weighed a ton, but she did, and Kotone breathed deeply. No rest for the Protector of the Capital. Time to find a way out.

A candle shone forth, as though her thought had brought it alight. But she didn't hold it – a baboon did. Even against the flickering light he appeared a silvery-blue, as though bathed in moonlight, and on his head sat figures of a crescent moon under a perfect sphere made of pure gold. Still he seemed unhampered by them.

"Thank you," said Kotone. It was only polite. "Where are we?"

"Lord Ishigami is quite dangerous these days," said the baboon. The thick patches of hair on the sides of his face ruffled to an unknown wind, neither hot nor cold, simply there.

It amused her, at least, that she already had a certain feel for enigmatic beings – so she knew he would not answer her question. "I will take care of it," replied Kotone, instead. "Once I return. Will you tell me the way?"

The baboon released the candle, which floated now in the air, to scratch his chin. With his other arm he clutched a thick book to his chest. Symbols she didn't quite recognize appeared on its old brown surface. "Fiends roaming about and all that…"

"I am here to solve that problem," Kotone insisted.

"Oh!" the baboon smiled. Even then, his golden-yellow eyes like stars narrowed, measuring her. "In that case, you will find him near the bottom of this great edifice. Say…" He tilted his head. "Were you not the summoner in that...that old Hiruko tower?"

"Yes. Forgive me, but I never saw you."

"Oh, but I saw you," he grinned. "You aided a friend of mine. You look different."

Kotone frowned, reluctant to dwell on how many things had changed over the past year. Things seemed much simpler then, when gray was not a color she considered. "People change."

"That is true for humans, who are short-lived," agreed the baboon.

"Is that not the case for your kind?"

"We are quite set in our way of life since birth," answered the baboon. "The few who decide they desire change tend to cause trouble."

"There is nothing wrong with improvement."

"Perhaps. But there is always a price for change."

"Hmm," was all Kotone offered. Then, out of curiosity, she asked, because he had not yet provided the solution to the problem of being trapped there, "What is that book you're reading? I have never before seen such writing."

"That is not surprising. It is a coveted book; only one of its kind," said the baboon, proudly.

"Is that so?" she asked. "How did you come to possess it?"

"Why, I wrote it," he laughed. His voice sounded high-pitched, but his mirth gave it resounding depth. It was daunting yet pleasant to hear.

"Oh." Kotone's blank expression was the equivalent of any other person wrinkling their nose. The baboon could hear it in her tone. Even her own snarkiness surprised her, it seemed, for she adjusted it into a more polite one. "That explains the rarity."

The baboon only smiled. "You are troubled."

"You…" Kotone did not look any more closely at the baboon than she already had, but suddenly he seemed to glow. The way only Thor had, when he wished to exude his presence. "You are no mere demon."

"Indeed," said the baboon. "And you are no simple summoner yourself."

Kotone's mouth twitched near a smile. That was always good to hear, she allowed herself to admit, even with her position as a Great Summoner. "What makes you say so?" she asked.

"I have never seen such conflict in a summoner," he said. "Humans like to think differently, but you often choose your lot in life early. Rare are the ones who shift sides."

Kotone lifted an eyebrow. "You said humans often change in their short lives."

"Yes," said the baboon, ignoring her, "the rule of dichotomy. In their limited view of the world, humans call them…good and evil. Light and dark. Law—"

"Limited?" Kotone repeated. "So you believe there is no true evil in the world?" Her mind flitted to a shimmering underground cavern and her fists clenched.

Thoth's mirth didn't waver. "What do you believe in? Duty? Or what is best?"

"Why should they be any different?"

"And yet you know they are." His voice was deep, now. Rumbling. Not angry, just more intense. Even then, the smile on his face indicated only pleasure at the turn their conversation had taken. "More than any human I have ever met. Your own behavior disturbs you."

"That is not your business," said Raidou, almost sharply. But after a pause, when the baboon appeared to take no offense, she ventured, "How did you know?"

"I see it in people," he answered. "Often I restore the balance…but you seem to be doing a fine job of it yourself, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. Or do you prefer Kotone?"

Kotone blinked at him. "Your book begins to interest me. Just like Louis' traveling bag," she murmured. If the baboon knew all this, anything written by him would be enlightening. It was the first she had heard of a demon who could weigh such things in anybody.

"You know Louis?" the baboon chittered in amusement. "And you know the Herald! It is no wonder you are in such conflict. I cannot decide whether to count you fortunate or ill-fated for this. Perhaps there is a reason we met here."

"To provide me with a spark?"

The baboon burst into laughter. "No," he said with a knowing smile, making Kotone feel like a silly child. But his next words contained all the solemnity of a great spirit speaking to another who might be one. "Girl, do you know what it means to perceive the gods themselves?"

"It is not a thing I aspire to know," she answered honestly. "My world is with the humans."

The baboon accepted it with no outward reaction, only a nod. "Perhaps. There may come a time when you desire to, however. And when it does, my book will be of great interest to you."

Kotone appeared doubtful, but returned his gesture. "I will think to search for you, then."

"You will," said the baboon, certainly. "Now, a Dragon Vein courses in the earth beneath us. These earthquakes your humans have experienced are caused by the great misfortune you have wrought amongst yourselves. A Sacred Stone lies at Ishigami's lowest levels. Your nation will be lost if you do not restore it, but as Protector you already know this. When you defeat the Fiend taking advantage of this catastrophe, you will gain the access you need."

"Thank you," Kotone repeated, appreciating his use of _when_ instead of _if_. She didn't bother asking how he knew. If he, too, was an acquaintance of Louis, he would probably be as cryptic, and she was grateful enough for this single straight answer. "You have been a better aid than any other I've come across."

"Consider it a parting gift for an interesting meeting," he shrugged. "Run along, now. You possess all the information you require."

"Except one," objected Kotone. "You know my name, but I don't know yours, sir." Sir…because he was more powerful than his aura let her feel. It was obvious in his golden eyes. Lesser demons, no matter how powerful, hardly possessed any color other than black or red. It was possible that he was greater even than their ice-eyed Thor.

The baboon grinned. "Thoth," and once the words escaped his mouth Kotone found herself lying on her side against a platform inside Lord Ishigami, Gouto's yelling piercing her ears.

Heaving herself up, Kotone looked around, breathing heavily. She bolted up, searching for Binbou-gami, but the Fiend had gone. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Gouto repeated with disbelief. "You tell me, Kotone! One minute you're flying off the edge and the next, you're ricocheting in the air, ripping that Fiend apart! He barely escaped before you destroyed him completely…"

"I did that…?" Kotone looked down at her clothes. There was no blood, but her limbs were weary. "I do feel somewhat tired. But…"

"I think you were possessed," Gouto said darkly. "Your eyes…they were golden. But I must admit: I've never seen such brilliant swordsmanship. You didn't feel anything at all?"

"…No," lied Kotone. It would be too much trouble to try to explain Thoth, not to mention Gouto would certainly scold her for not having the sense to realize the baboon had possessed her. And if he had defeated Binbou-gami for her – the truth of it was that she wanted the pleasure for herself, but what he had done was well enough, she supposed, though the thought that she was not in control of her own body upset her greatly. Was it all to tempt her with a book?

"Anyway, let's move on," said Gouto, eyes still slightly narrowed. "To the ninth floor, right?"

"No. The lowest floor," said Kotone. "While I blacked out, it…came to me that we must realign a Sacred Stone to return Lord Ishigami to its place. And to reach it I must battle another Fiend."

Gouto's tail flicked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Kotone nodded. "To save time. Perhaps the Inari spirit put it in my mind while I was elsewhere," she said absentmindedly, walking across the narrow bridges connecting the platforms. Her sense of direction had flared after her encounter with Thoth, like his presence in her body had left in her the tiniest scrap of his knowledge of the place.

"Maybe," murmured Gouto. "Well, the faster we finish this, the sooner the earthquakes will stop. Let's hop to it!"

Glad that her mentor gave no outward protests, Kotone pressed forward and took a circle of light in descent. Demons still persisted, but she had required the aid of only a few of her friends to defeat them. The Jack Brothers, for example. Hiruko. Nue and Gozuki. Those who would not inquire about what 'troubled' her, as Thoth had excellently put.

He appeared from nowhere, as all Fiends did. Lying suggestively against a thick, thundering storm cloud, hand against his thigh and a ruined parasol floating behind him, the Fiend was bald, save for bits of hair right above his ears. It was the first thing Kotone noticed. And then his long, slick tongue, swinging in place of oily hair. He must have been four times Binbou-gami's size, his face half of her entire body.

"I am bad luckubyoou!" he laughed as he announced himself. "Yakubyou-gami!"

"Not again—look at the size of him!" Gouto exclaimed, paw on Kotone's foot. "So he's the one behind all the calamity about to hit… He's misfortune in demon form!"

"Daaaance!" ordered Yakubyou-gami, waving a hand and a tongue. She wondered how he could speak with that thing hanging out of his mouth. "Scatterrr! The wooorrst calamity everrr!" With that, he picked up the tattered parasol, a mottled umber, and swung it at Kotone.

"Gouto, move!" she shouted. The cat leapt back from the platform, but Kotone hadn't been able to avoid it. An invisible wall had risen from the edges of where they stood. She did not fly off or fall, only hit the air and fell to the ground, crumpled instinctively before hoisting herself to her elbows. She had not been prepared for something of that size in a long time.

When she finally stood, the Fiend chose to speak. "I love the Capital now!" he told her gleefully. "With the sacred stone misplaced and luck at an all-time low, it's home sweet home for me! See the humans run…see them suffer from earthquakes, disease, despair! The police, the army, the government, all circling the drain! I give this catastrophe _four_ stars!"

"I'm here to put an end to it," she replied, summoning Aeros.

"Hmm?" the Fiend peered down at her suspiciously and frowned. "Who are you?" Before she could answer, he swished his parasol at her again—only for her demon to push against the wind with all his might. Yakubyou-gami pushed, but Aeros forced back the weapon.

"A Fiend," noted Aeros, when Yakubyou-gami relented for a moment. "Of disease and disaster, at that. What do you propose we do, Raidou?"

Kotone liked Aeros for battle, especially. Dominion sometimes asked too much about her health as they fought, while the elemental simply focused on defeating the enemy. Still, she noted his translucent eyes searching hers for something. The others had clearly put him up to doing it.

"I thought you might take me to him," she suggested.

"It's what I do best," smiled Aeros. With the elemental one could never actually tell, but he was of the same temperament as Dominion despite being the embodiment of the winds, and the breeze surrounding Kotone picked up into a torrent that lifted her from the waist with such speed it seemed as if she was hurtling towards Yakubyou-gami. Leaping over his shoulder before he could react, Kotone stabbed the Fiend in the back.

Yakubyou-gami hissed. Aeros imitated him. "Disease indeed!" he exclaimed in wonder as miasma swirled out of the Fiend's wound. Kotone certainly hadn't been prepared for such a poison, and sheathed her sword hurriedly to cover her mouth. Aeros whisked it away, but even then the coughing fits were inevitable and Raidou could feel the poison whittling away at her energy.

"You're quite a disaster yourself if you managed to harm me," said Yakubyou-gami, slit eyes still narrowing at Kotone as she returned to the ground.

The summoner knew now it was better to maintain a certain distance from disaster personified if she was to survive the battle. Long-range attacks. Mezuki and Gozuki, the demons she had always favored in an intense battle for their sheer strength, were out of the question. So it was Nue with lightning and Pyro Jack with flames in Yakubyou-gami's face.

Pyro Jack had grown in agility since their last battle with Binbou-gami, and cleverly avoided Yakubyou-gami's tongue. Eventually his antics and hoarse laughter frustrated the Fiend enough to stop trying, and resumed throwing his parasol at them, an attack much more difficult to avoid.

"MOVE JACK MOVE," Nue roared, noticing the Fiend's hand movement even as lightning crackled out of his mouth.

"Burn the parasol!" Kotone ordered. Pyro Jack obeyed, breathing fire into the umbrella, now in crisps over Yakubyou-gami's robes. The flurry of attacks and constant electric shocks had distracted the Fiend, who scowled.

"Such a sprightly youth! I hate it. But if you're a building fire, I'm a forest fire – the ultimate disaster!"

Nue and Pyro Jack braced themselves when the Fiend whipped his head at them angrily, as though weighing which to destroy first, but all along his target was Kotone. His tongue lashed out at her, rolling her up little by little until she nearly reached his widening jaw.

"Nue! Continue," she ordered, noting Nue's hesitation. It warmed her heart as much as it displeased her that he would doubt her ability to withstand his attack. "Nue, obey!"

"OKAY," cried the beast, as though he'd been backed into a corner, and dealt successive bolts of lightning at the Fiend holding her.

"Ko-ho-ne!" gasped Pyro Jack.

Clearly having heard the exchange, Yakubyou-gami had braced himself for the attack and did not release Kotone from his grasp. Raidou bit down on her lip and refused to scream, the shock passing through her in increasingly violent waves. When she realized the Fiend wouldn't let go, she opened her mouth – shaking – and bit down on his tongue.

"Ow!" Yakubyou-gami whined. Kotone rolled out of his tongue, falling into his cloud.

It must have been a part of his body, thought Kotone, twitching. Even then, her cap was still on her head. Everything was fine. She would recover from this. Raidou stood, thoroughly encouraged, but she was surrounded in the white mist. The stench was familiar – Yakubyou-gami's poison miasma. Kotone pushed herself forward, exhaling and then holding her breath, but nothing worked. She was growing weak. The fumes were reaching her head, passing through her body. Aeros, she thought, but Yakubyou-gami was faster.

"So unlucky," he sang from all around her. "But unfortunate children are always a good meal! I'm going to enjoooy digesting your misfortune and chuuuurning out more disaster!"

Kotone coughed. Nothing positive would come out of replying to such taunts. "Aeros," she summoned, but the mist had taken all her magnetite. She felt Nue and Pyro Jack fall back to their tubes. The miasma began to deplete her body.

"Kotone!" she heard Aeros outside. "Get up. Kotone!"

"Get the Anti-Poison," Dominion insisted from the same detached distance. It was like bags of cotton had been placed over her senses. Even the angel's ruffling through her cape and pouch felt numb.

Within the mist, Kotone could see nothing until her waist began to shake. Not from her friends' search but from the red box strapped there—the grown luck locust Dahn had given her. It rattled around the cage wildly, attempting to get out. Raidou put all her strength into reaching her hand towards the red box, sweating profusely, and felt a warmth close around it – Dominion and Aeros, having seen the activity themselves, but in her growing delirium she thought only _Dahn_ – then opened the cage.

The luck locust buzzed, flitting loudly into freedom. She couldn't be sure if it understood her intentions, but it emitted such a great light that Yakubyou-gami trilled in frustration, loosing his hold on her consciousness. For Dominion and Aeros, their summoner awoke. For Raidou, she fell out of the mist.

"Kotone—"

"Dia. Take me to him," she demanded, struggling to rise. Yakubyou-gami was down, his tongue sagging weakly. Luck was his weakness. Kotone felt the locust settle in back in its cage as Dominion sent bouts of energy her way and Aeros carried her to the Fiend once more.

Her sword was poised over his neck. She was slightly dizzy from the sudden barrage of health from Dominion, but Kotone steadied herself on the grip she had on Yakubyou-gami by his right ear.

"I am Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th," she answered, finally, and released him to swing her sword at his neck.

She frowned in dismay, grabbing his collar to stay aloft. Kotone had expected a quick beheading, but his neck was thicker than she expected. She pulled her sword out from his half-neck, ready to swing again, when Yakubyou-gami lifted an arm and shoved her off.

"I remember now," groaned the Fiend, miasma pouring from his neck. "Yooou're the devil summoner that protects the Capital! Sooo baaad...to have met you again… What a disaster," the Fiend whined. Kotone fell, hurtled away from Yakubyou-gami, and Aeros breezed her to safety. "My own personal calamity…"

He disappeared. Bidding Aeros return to his tube, Raidou fell back despite her attempts not to lose her composure. Dominion supported her by the waist. "Are you all right?"

Kotone nodded. Dominion concealed a skeptic look, casting Dia over his summoner multiple times. The angel knew she had been avoiding them, so he spoke before she could order him back to his tube. "Lilim worries."

Kotone shrugged off his helpful arm and forced herself to stand. "I'm fine. Lilim was not summoned because she isn't fitting for this battle. We discussed this last year."

"If you're certain," Dominion sighed, prepared to surrender, but stood his ground. "If I am to be candid," he said, "You seem to concentrate on keeping Lilim within her tube the most out of us all."

Raidou's only show of guilt was her look askance. "I have much on my mind I would prefer to keep Lilim out of."

"Is pushing away a friend truly the best option, Kotone?"

Kotone stared at Dominion, looking thoughtful, but in truth she was tempted to glare. She disliked being told what to do, but often she could dismiss it with the thought that at least she knew she was right. But Dominion's words were wise, here, and Kotone knew she was acting foolishly. Lilim didn't push her away when the demoness first began to lust for Dominion, the first male she had actually cared for. His nagging personality had apparently appealed to Lilim, who soon fell in love with him.

Still, the story of the two wasn't something she pried into unless Lilim offered stories, and sometimes Kotone even preferred to stop Lilim when her descriptions turned to the physical. Demonesses like Lilim had no concept of marriage and rituals displaying union, and Dominion had found companionship in Lilim he could not in any other being. He had expressed to her a few times the harassment he received from other angels for his association with Lilim; in fact, his eyes had turned red instead of their natural blue, for he was once a relatively high-ranking angel.

Gouto once expressed dismay for Dominion's fall, but never passed judgment on the angel for it. Curious, especially since Gouto showed a certain dislike for Lilim through his teasing and irritating, but Kotone simply thought that perhaps Gouto respected Dominion too much as an effective demon to damn his choice in a mate. She wondered if he would feel the same if she chose an enemy, too.

Not that she would, of course. It was all hypothetical.

"Ask her to wait a little longer," Kotone told Dominion. "I must sort my thoughts, alone."

Squeezing her shoulder in agreement for the time being, Dominion disappeared. In the clear, Gouto approached his descendant, circling her and checking for wounds. "Are you all right?"

"The Fiend warranted the title," she answered, standing straight under his scrutiny. "His festering wounds were toxic to me, but we have never met."

"He meant your father," Gouto clarified. "We met him before, when Katsu was still a young man. I didn't think we would ever see him again. It took him all these years to recover…only to fall at the hands of the same summoner." The cat seemed amused amidst his concern for his descendant.

"My father faced that Fiend?" Raidou asked, genuinely interested. "He never mentioned it. And how did he defeat him?"

"As you know, Katsu was pure strength," said Gouto. Kotone did know that. Her father's friends possessed elemental power, and demons made for physical attacks such as Gozuki and Mezuki were rare. He sacrificed speed for bone-crushing blows. In terms of style, her father was the extreme opposite of Nagi's lightning quick attacks. "He had a bit of trouble at first, but once he figured out Yakubyou-gami, he wiped the floor with that Fiend."

"Oh." Kotone was glad the Fiend had not put her father in too much danger, but it disappointed her that he hadn't put up much of a fight against the 13th, either. A testament to her father's power.

"Don't feel bad," Gouto flicked his tail at her foot. "Katsu was about Dahn's age by the time he was that powerful."

Kotone shook her head. She never compared herself with him because he had made it very clear that they were two summoners with different styles no matter their direct relation, and Gouto said _she_ was his best descendant to date. She saw now that it might have been because she was faced with the great problem of the soulless army on her first year of operation while her father's crises had been numerable, but smaller in scale. It made her doubt. She didn't like it. Still Kotone answered, "I would never compete with father. Let's move on."

Gouto agreed with thoughtful acquiescence, and they encountered no more malicious demons on their way down. Thoth was nowhere to be seen, but she didn't count him much as a malicious being than a meddlesome one. While she couldn't deny the fortuity of his interruption, she would have liked to know how it felt to handle Binbou-gami on her own.

The sacred stone out of place was a sleek, obsidian pebble no larger than Dahn's palm. How could this tiny rock cause such calamity? She supposed it was the proverbial ripple that unexpectedly moved tides of history, and in a brief moment of deep reflection found herself lucky to understand what had caused these. Ever did time brush over the fine details of the truth, like the existence of otherworldly beings and young men whose only wish was to save both their martyrical sisters and home though it was impossible.

The thought dampened her triumph. With the sacred stone locked in place, the tower rumbled menacingly and Kotone understood that they were now deep in the earth once more. It both froze and seared her from within, as though the change was both physical and a condition that could be treated only from the soul's core.

Gouto went ahead to tell Narumi of the good news in case he was worried, and the cat knew the man well enough now to say he was.

Once Kotone explained that her knowledge of the sacred stone was based on pure intuition, she listened to the girl – an Inari statue in human form, as she'd suspected – lavish praise on her as had all the others. She was aware enough of herself to know that their gratitude had not yet become platitudes to her simply because it pandered to her adolescent ego. She wondered if the feeling would leave when she grew older, but for now, she happily accepted and replied that it was her duty, of course.

And it was. But in the back of her mind she wondered if the Inari could not have just told her to begin with instead of allowing such calamity to pass without resistance. Although they often depended on Kuzunoha summoners to pass each other messages and simple greetings, she was the kind to – well, today was a day when she simply did not understand why other humans couldn't speak with them. And not just them. Demons and spirits, too.

Although members of her family and other, lesser summoner clans were born with the ability to see the supernatural, humans could be trained to see them. What had once been considered a gift was now a curse, however, for the sight only garnered fear, not wonder, to those born to it without proper guidance. What a ridiculous notion.

"We are certain that your continued actions shall bring a bright future to the Capital. Take care of yourself, Raidou," said the little girl, startling Kotone when she touched her hand. She smiled like a forgiving adult, as though she knew that the summoner had drifted. Raidou realized it was the first time such a thing ever occurred and scolded herself for it. Squeezing her small fingers around the summoner's dry palm, the Inari waved it in a pseudo-handshake. "You bear all of our hopes."

"I know," said Raidou, bowing before the child. The Inari grinned, her eyes stretching to slits as she stepped back into her statue and faded. Turning her back on the fox, Kotone sighed.

* * *

Tell me what you think! :) As I said earlier, Kotone's getting a little Chaotic. It happens when people important to you are taken away, even if you think you're prepared for it. She thought she might be able to get a hold of herself and control her reaction and response to Akane's marriage and Dahn's incarceration/possible death, but evidently she's become more emotional than she thinks. Also, she's starting to point fingers! Naughty summoner, Kotone. The Fox against the Crow? It can only end in disaster.

The Chapter title is a reference to the song "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King. It starts with "I feel the earth move under my feet/ I feel the sky tumbling down/ I feel my heart start to trembling/ Whenever you're around..." Refers to many things in this chapter. The effect Kotone and Dahn now have on each other, whether or not they can help it, the earthquakes in the Capital, the looming disaster in the sky which we'll see in the next chapter, and you may or may not see it as something Kotone may have for Louis, too. But on a physical level, not an emotional one, as that belongs wholly to Dahn, I assure you. (I personally dislike love triangles. I've found a solution to it. You'll see. Hehehehehe)

And, well, happy new year, everybody. :) I hope you are all doing great. I've missed this fandom.

Also, this updated on January 28, 2013, which is why Raiho says it may have been 7 years, or "maybe 3 or 4". (Soulless Army was released in Japan/NA in the year 2006, so that should have technically been the last time they saw each other, but at the same time since this is fanfiction on the actual game which was released in 2008 for Japan and 2009 for NA, it may also have been 3/4 years.)


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